{
  "id": 116645,
  "title": "Record 54% of South Koreans see Japan favorably, poll shows",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/record-54-of-south-koreans-see-japan-favorably-poll-shows",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-04T03:07:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Japan Times",
    "slug": "japan-times",
    "url": "https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08/04/japan/south-korea-survey-good-impression-japan-record-high/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Seoul - The proportion of South Koreans who have a favorable view of Japan increased to 54.3% in 2026, according to a survey by the East Asia Institute. This marked a 1.9 percentage point rise from the previous year and represented the highest level since the survey began in 2013. The survey found that 66.9% of those with a positive impression attributed Japan's favorable image to the kind-hearted nature of its people and the country's emphasis on maintaining order. Additionally, 43.9% of respondents highlighted Japan's appealing food culture and shopping opportunities as contributing factors. The survey also revealed that 71.6% of respondents had visited Japan, suggesting that increased people-to-people exchanges between the two nations played a role in shaping South Korea's more favorable perception of Japan. Conversely, 38.5% of respondents held a negative view of Japan. The survey was conducted in collaboration with the International House of Japan, a nonprofit organization in Tokyo that also surveyed Japanese perceptions of South Korea. The Japanese survey found that 35.3% of respondents had a positive view of South Korea in 2026, a 10.5 point increase from the prior year. However, last year's figure had declined due to concerns over former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's unsuccessful attempt to impose martial law at the end of 2024 and the inauguration of his successor, Lee Jae Myung, in 2025, who was known for his hardline anti-Japanese stance. The latest survey was conducted in mid-July and included responses from approximately 1,500 individuals aged 18 or older from both Japan and South Korea.",
  "summary": "The reading hit the highest level since the survey began in 2013.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}