2021 Volume 7 Issue 1 Pages 47-60
In 2017 and 2019, two surveys were conducted to clarify the changes and characteristics of target groups of exclusionism among the Japanese people. A survey to compare between the Chinese, South Koreans, North Koreans, and Taiwanese as the target groups, was added in 2020. In Survey 1 (2017) and Survey 2 (2019), participants who were 20 to 69 years old were asked to recall a group that they feel most dislike. Approximately 70％ of the participants in both surveys were able to describe a certain dislike group. In Survey 1, the types of target groups were the members of Japanese new religions, nationals of three neighboring countries (China, South Korea, and North Korea), and the members of Islamic State, in descending order. In Survey 2, the frequencies of the nationals of three Asian countries increased, due to an increase in the numbers of responses choosing South Korea. Consequently, the order of first to third place was switched to three neighboring countries, Japanese new religions, and political parties. There were some gender differences among the participants with their choices of target groups, but no significant differences by age groups were indicated. Negative and positive emotions toward the countries and the tendency to exclude them were significantly reduced between Survey 1 and 2. In Survey 3 (2020), North Korea, China, South Korea, and Taiwan were evaluated negatively in this order, but there were no significant differences in exclusionary thinking and behaviors among the countries. Based on these outcomes, the characteristics of exclusionism among the Japanese in the survey period were discussed.
