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
CHANGING LANDSCAPE: Many of the part-time programs for educators were no longer needed, as many teachers obtain a graduate degree before joining the workforce, experts said Taiwanese universities this year canceled 86 programs, Ministry of Education data showed, with educators attributing the closures to the nation’s low birthrate as well as shifting trends. Fifty-three of the shuttered programs were part-time postgraduate degree programs, about 62 percent of the total, the most in the past five years, the data showed. National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) discontinued the most part-time master’s programs, at 16: chemistry, life science, earth science, physics, fine arts, music, special education, health promotion and health education, educational psychology and counseling, education, design, Chinese as a second language, library and information sciences, mechatronics engineering, history, physical education
The Chinese military has boosted its capability to fight at a high tempo using the element of surprise and new technology, the Ministry of National Defense said in the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) published on Monday last week. The ministry highlighted Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) developments showing significant changes in Beijing’s strategy for war on Taiwan. The PLA has made significant headway in building capabilities for all-weather, multi-domain intelligence, surveillance, operational control and a joint air-sea blockade against Taiwan’s lines of communication, it said. The PLA has also improved its capabilities in direct amphibious assault operations aimed at seizing strategically important beaches,
‘MALIGN PURPOSE’: Governments around the world conduct espionage operations, but China’s is different, as its ultimate goal is annexation, a think tank head said Taiwan is facing a growing existential threat from its own people spying for China, experts said, as the government seeks to toughen measures to stop Beijing’s infiltration efforts and deter Taiwanese turncoats. While Beijing and Taipei have been spying on each other for years, experts said that espionage posed a bigger threat to Taiwan due to the risk of a Chinese attack. Taiwan’s intelligence agency said China used “diverse channels and tactics” to infiltrate the nation’s military, government agencies and pro-China organizations. The main targets were retired and active members of the military, persuaded by money, blackmail or pro-China ideology to steal
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
RSS