By Lee Ji-hye
A vast majority of Korean feel hostile toward Japanese, Kyodo News Agency reported Saturday.
According to a Japanese Newspapers Association survey, Korean respondents’ answers were the most hostile toward Japanese out of six countries. The other countries are the U.S., China, the U.K., France, and Thailand.
Apart from Korean and Chinese respondents, hostility was six to 17 percent on average.
The Chinese-affiliate company for the survey refused to answer the question regarding hostility toward the Japanese “due to political, ideological” reasons.
Asked to select one well-known Japanese figure, Koreans, Chinese and Thais answered Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister.
Koreans chose Ito Hirobumi, who was killed by Korean independence activist Ahn Jung-gun, as the second well-known Japanese.
American, British, and French respondents answered Emperor Showa, or Hirohito, the longest reigning Japanese Emperor, followed by baseball player Ichiro Suzuki, and John Lennon’s second wife, Yoko Ono.
Animation film director Hayao Miyazaki was also high on the list.
Most British, French and American participants in the survey (66-89 percent) could not name a mainstream Japanese news outlet.
However, 89 percent of Korean respondents were able to name mainstream media outlets in Japan.
The survey report suggested that Koreans’ answers may have been influenced by Sankei Newspaper’s Seoul bureau chief Kato Tatsuya, 48, who has been banned from leaving the country after being charged with defamation.
A thousand people per country participated in the survey between January and February this year.