More than half of South Koreans now view Japan favorably for the first time in survey history, with younger generations driving the shift in sentiment.
The Japan Press Research Institute, a public interest foundation, released results on Thursday of its "Media Survey on Attitudes Toward Japan" conducted in November and December last year. The survey polled approximately 1,000 respondents in each of six countries: South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and Thailand.
According to the findings, 56.4% of South Korean respondents expressed favorable feelings toward Japan, up 15.8 percentage points from the previous year. This marks the first time the figure has exceeded 50% since the survey began in 2014.
The generational divide was stark. Respondents in their teens through thirties showed relatively high favorability toward Japan, while those in their fifties recorded the lowest rate at 45.6%.
The Yomiuri Shimbun, citing the survey results, reported that "the Japanese political establishment, including Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, has recently emphasized Japan-South Korea relations, which appears to have influenced this shift in perception." Analysts point to the resumption of summit diplomacy between Seoul and Tokyo and expanded cultural and tourism exchanges as factors reshaping younger Koreans' attitudes.
South Korea's favorability rating for Japan remains among the lowest of the surveyed nations. Thailand led at 94.7%, followed by the United States at 86.5%, France at 85.4%, and the United Kingdom at 82.6%. Russia recorded 56.5%, similar to South Korea despite a sharp year-on-year decline.
Regarding favorability toward South Korea, Thailand ranked highest at 75.1%, followed by France at 68.1%, Russia at 61.7%, the United States at 50.9%, and the United Kingdom at 42.2%. The results are attributed to the global spread of Korean content and improved national image.
The survey also captured views on global politics. In all six countries, a majority said U.S. President Donald Trump "has a negative impact on the world." South Korea recorded the highest rate at 73.7%, with France and Thailand also exceeding 70%. Majorities in the United States and Russia shared the negative assessment.
Similarly, more than half of respondents in every country said they would not want "a leader like President Trump" in their own nation. Russia and Thailand recorded the highest rates at 91.0% and 89.1% respectively, while South Korea stood at 75.5%.
South Korean respondents identified China as the greatest threat to world peace, with 28.7% selecting it—up 9.1 percentage points from the previous year. North Korea followed at 21.7%, Russia at 18.8%, and the United States at 16.4%.
