Most people in Taiwan regard Japan as the world’s most likable country, a survey released yesterday by the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association said.
Sixty percent of the respondents chose “Japan” when asked to name their “most likable country/region.”
China and the US polled at 7 percent and 6 percent respectively.
Photo: CNA
Sixty-eight percent of people from eastern Taiwan named Japan as the most likable, followed by 65 percent in the south choosing Japan, 59 percent in central Taiwan and 57 percent in the north, it showed.
In terms of age, 73 percent of those who chose Japan were in their 30s, followed by 71 percent in their 40s, 65 percent in their 20s, 51 percent above 65, and 47 percent aged 50 to 64.
Another question asked: “What country/region should Taiwan grow closer to?”
Japan was named by 46 percent of respondents, followed by the US at 24 percent and China at 15 percent, the poll showed.
On this question, 55 percent from eastern Taiwan named Japan, 50 percent in the central region, 45 in the south and 44 percent in the north.
By age, 57 percent were in their 40s, 54 percent in their 30s, 50 percent in their 20s, 41 percent above 65, and 34 percent aged 50 to 64.
The poll also showed that 70 percent of respondents considered the relationship between Japan and Taiwan as “good” — up 17 percentage points from the previous poll in 2019 — and only 2 percent considered the relationship as “bad.”
Sixty percent of the respondents saw Japan as trustworthy — up 10 points from the 2019 poll. Eight percent said the opposite.
Asked whether they felt close to Japan, 77 percent of the respondents answered “yes” — up from 70 percent from the 2019 poll — and 6 percent said “no.”
Taiwanese have grown to like and trust Japan more, and have a more positive attitude toward the relationship between the two countries, the association said.
The poll was conducted from Jan. 5 to Jan. 20 among people in Taiwan, aged 20 to 80, the association said, adding that it collected 1,068 valid samples with a margin of error of 3.06 percent.
Additional reporting by CNA
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