Opinion poll: 37% of Koreans think Japan is the "most dangerous country"

[Art_from_Ark]

(I found this on Yahoo Japan. Unfortunately, the article is in Japanese. Here is a translation of the first paragraph):

Seoul (Kyodo News Service)-- According to a public opinion survey taken by a private Korean polling company, when asked "What country is the biggest threat to the safety of South Korea?", 37.1% of the 800 adults polled answered "Japan", an increase of 7.6% from the previous year. The results, which were released on the 18th, show that Japan surpassed even North Korea, and the United States, which had the top spot last year. Apparent reasons included the problems over Takeshima Island (called Dokto in Korean), which both Korea and Japan claim.

(More)

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20050418-00000131-kyodo-int

[teryang]

1. No suprise there

As American influence slips, the old alignments re-emerge.

[Art_from_Ark]

2. It's really a shame

especially considering the current "Korea boom" going on here in Japan. Korea is now the hottest destination for Japanese tourists, and Korean dramas and singers are more popular now in Japan than maybe ever. And the Takeshima/Dokto dispute has existed since 1952. Who is stirring up all this trouble?

[teryang]

3. I'm not up on the Dokto dispute but....

The colonial period is an open wound, as a result of which, Koreans expect the Japanese to yield on every issue which involves nationalist claims.

Likewise, I don't think that Koreans are sympathetic to Japanese grievances against N.Korea, figuring (even unfairly) that violent and illegal actions over the years are the reward for decades of occupation cruelty. The Japanese have to walk gingerly in Asia. I think they can accomplish objectives through negotiations but the face saving that needs to take place on both sides complicates matters beyond belief. I would describe mainland Asian attitudes to Japanese policy pronoucements affecting international security or territorial claims in east Asia as virtually zero tolerance. Japanese pronoucements on Taiwan, which may be nothing new as a matter of fact, were better left unsaid. The Koreans tend to see things the way mainland China does when it comes to Japan. This is primarily the result of the shared colonial experience.

Ironically, on a cultural basis, many if not most, Koreans admire and respect Japanese culture and seem to be fond of all things Japanese.

Korean culture likewise is very dynamic and appealing. The nation is on the crossroads of Asia and benefits from many positive influences.

The efforts to make territorial changes are causing the old recriminations to come to the fore. I believe all three cultures are ultimately compatible. I tend to regard the US as the destabilizing influence as it does not have a post American hegemony plan for East Asia. For example if Japan supported Sunshine policies and Korean unification, rather than American initiatives which are confrontational, S.Korea and Japan could neutralize the manipulations of the neo-cons who are trying to do more in Asia with a weaker hand. They could also facilitate an opening up and de-clawing of N.Korea. However, this would involve Japanese decoupling from American definitions of what their security interest really is.

Perhaps I am wrong in this but my understanding is that the treaty structure between US and Japan keeps them in lockstep.

[Art_from_Ark]

4. Interesting analysis

You make many interesting points taht I would like to further discuss when I get some extra time.

One comment I would like to make now is about the Sunshine policy. As I recall, Japan DID support it while Clinton was the (capital P) President. Then after that, we suddenly began hearing a lot about what a "threat" North Korea was/is.

What is also interesting is all the hubbub about visits of Japanese politicians to the infamous Yasukuni Shrine, which were revived with a passion, it seems, under current PM Koizumi, despite the protests of Korea and China. Now it seems that more Japanese politicians are taking a more confrontational attitude toward visiting this shrine. This begs the question, Why? especially considering there is another huge shrine in Tokyo, Meiji Shrine, that probably could serve the same purpose without stirring up emotions on the mainland.

[teryang]

5. On Sunshine it seemed as if the US were turning Japan away

...from its natural orientation. I know that the Japanese have a better understanding of the regional politics than the US.

As far as your points about the shrines I am not aware of their significance and would like to know more.