Improving International Relations at the Grass Roots: Japanese Student Attitudes to Japanese - Korean relations

In late 2012, when international relations had deteriorated in NE Asia, 295 Japanese students at ten universities were surveyed. In response to various questions about the region, opinions varied in five arenas: travel, foreign language, history, current affairs and popular culture. Over 100 raised questions themselves, wanting to learn more about Korea, Japan or the relationship. We make two suggestions, as additions to existing education programs, to deepen Korean-Japanese mutual understanding.