Caline Malek Dubai

Young Arabs are generally less informed about Japan than their elders, according to a YouGov survey.

Of the 3,033 people from the Arab world who were polled, the main misconceptions were found to be among 16-24-year-olds, with older respondents more aware of Japan’s history.

For instance, the ability to identify Japan on a map was higher among those aged over 40 (65 percent) than those aged 16-24 (55 percent).

“The reason is that younger Arabs are receiving their information in a very crowded hypermedia environment, where news stories are skewed, thus the correct history isn’t received or communicated effectively,” said Dr. Theodore Karasik, senior advisor at Gulf State Analytics in Washington, DC.

“This is where Japan’s tourist websites, especially the Japan National Tourism Organization, need to put forth reasons for Arab youth to visit the country,” he added.

“An effective communications strategy helps attract attention, especially if the message is conveyed in Arabic.”

Karasik said cross-cultural connections built through tourism can promote greater understanding between societies, and create opportunities for people to interact and do business.

“Japan’s business models, mixed with Arab entrepreneurship in artificial intelligence and other Fourth Industrial Revolution ideas, can lead to innovation,” he added.

The fact that a respondent had visited Japan did not mean they were better informed about the country’s politics or economy.

“The history of modern Japan is well known to the elders of this region,” a senior Japanese diplomat based in the Gulf told Arab News.

“They know Japan fought a total war against the world and lost it in 1945. They know we had to rebuild our country with the firm determination of becoming a peaceful nation. We were the first and only victim of atomic bombs.”

The older group had better knowledge of Japan, with 55 percent identifying the prime minister as the top executive authority, compared with 34 percent of the younger group.

Seventy-three percent of the older group correctly identified Japan as a member of the G20, compared with 61 percent of the younger group.

“I know a lot about Japan, but not in detail when it comes to its politics. I don’t think young people today prioritize learning such elements because we have so much information available to us,” said Salama Harb, a 23-year-old Dubai-based Palestinian.

“I feel that younger people today have become a bit complacent about finding out in great detail things that may not affect their lives much.”

Among the survey’s older group, 37 percent correctly identified the US as Japan’s military ally, compared with only 19 percent of youngsters.
“It isn’t an easy task to encourage young people to study and read history books on other cultures, or to exchange students,” the Japanese diplomat said.

“Young people are very good at getting necessary information through the internet and social media, but the right things should be available in the right places, and fake information should be avoided,” he added.

“There are a lot of excellent sources on both sides, Japan and Arabs, for a better understanding. Encouraging exchange programs and scholarships is a good idea.”

The diplomat said Japan has a number of popular TV series that focus on the country’s modernization period that started around 150 years ago, and showing them in the Middle East may be a good idea.

“There was a series of harsh civil wars and a lot of bloodshed among major tribes, painful resistance against colonial powers, a very difficult reconciliation phase among major tribes after every chaos, and modernization efforts with our own tradition and culture being preserved,” he added.

“There are many nice and exciting stories that Arab youth can enjoy watching, and which will bring about a deeper understanding of Japan and its people.”