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Public Opinion Survey Finds South Korea’s Favorability Toward Japan Exceeds 50%

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, right, and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung shake hands following a joint press conference in Nara City on Jan. 13.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

18:26 JST, February 8, 2026

According to the results of a public opinion survey announced Saturday, South Korea’s favorability toward Japan exceeded 50% for the first time since the survey started being held in fiscal 2014. The survey was conducted by the Japan Press Research Institute.

The favorability rate reached 56.4%, an increase of 15.8 points from the previous survey. The institute believes that one of the factors in the increased favorability was that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi demonstrated an attitude that prioritized Japan-South Korea relations.

The survey was conducted in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, South Korea, Russia and Thailand. The highest level of favorability toward Japan was recorded in Thailand (94.7%), followed by the United States (86.5%) and France (85.4%).

More than half of the respondents in each surveyed country said that U.S. President Donald Trump was having a negative impact on the world, with over 70% expressing this view in France, South Korea and Thailand.

The survey was held via telephone and in-person interviews between November and December last year, with responses gathered from approximately 1,000 people in each country.