China’s Soft-Power in Japan and its Limits – A Comparison with South Korea’s

Abstract

China and South Korea, appearing as the strong competitors of a soft power rivalry in Eastern Asia, have their peculiar policies in an att empt to att ain soft power in the region. Although both countries have a strong potential for soft power, in the context of the Japanese community, China and South Korea intend to elicit positive impressions owing to their soft power strategies. Several public opinion polls and the survey conducted by Tomoko Yasuno and Yasuko Enomoto reveal surprising findings. Impressions of China and Korea are indeed critically poor among Japanese society, as most respondents to multiple surveys state that they are unfriendly to the two countries in question. Yasuno and Enomoto investigate the variables that influence such negative att ributions, while elaborating on the Japanese conception of Korea and China further. This paper provides an overview of their hypotheses, findings and interpretations.