Prime Minister Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung enjoy an improptu drum session in Nara City, January 13. he Japanese PM, a known heavy metal fan, has been drumming since college. (Provided by the Cabinet Office)
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The Korea National Diplomatic Academy on May 4 released a report titled "Analysis of South Koreans' Perceptions of Japan," an opinion survey conducted by groups including the East Asia Institute (EAI).
According to the EAI's 2025 polling, 63.3% of South Koreans said they had a "positive impression" of Japan, far exceeding the 30.6% who said they had a "negative impression."
The report stated that the results showed the most favorable image of Japan ever recorded.
In the 2024 survey, views were nearly evenly split: 41.7% of respondents said they had a positive impression of Japan, while 42.7% said they had a negative one.
Asked why they had a positive impression, with respondents allowed to choose up to two answers, the most common response was "the kind and sincere national character of the Japanese people," at 46.6%.
It was followed by "attractive food culture and shopping" (31.7%), and "being a fellow liberal democracy" (25.7%).
By contrast, among those with a negative impression, the most frequently cited reason was "insufficient remorse over Japan's colonization of the Korean Peninsula," at 82.8%.
That was followed by "Japan's sovereignty claim over Dokdo [Takeshima in Japanese]," at 48.0%, and "unresolved historical issues such as comfort women and forced labor [wartime labor dispute]," at 41.2%.
The report noted that "positive impressions are based on characteristics of present-day Japan, while negative impressions are rooted mainly in historical issues," adding that perceptions of history and perceptions of contemporary Japan are becoming increasingly divergent.
Yet it also cautioned that "even if awareness of historical issues declines in the future, Dokdo could remain a major source of dispute."
On bilateral relations, 87.5% of respondents in the 2025 survey said Japan-South Korea ties are "important," up more than 13 percentage points from 74.1% in the 2023 survey.
Asked what issues should be prioritized in bilateral relations, 49.6% cited "promoting future-oriented cooperation," exceeding the 31.5% who chose "resolving historical issues."
In the 2021 survey, the order was reversed, with 40.7% citing historical issues and 35.3% choosing future-oriented cooperation.
Support for cooperation in the security field is also expanding. Asked whether Japan, the US, and South Korea should strengthen trilateral military and security cooperation, 75.5% responded affirmatively.
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Author: Shimpei Okuhara, The Sankei Shimbun
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