SEOUL, July 11 -- A survey shows that more than half of South Koreans believe Japan's current social and political system is "militaristic" and that Japan poses the second-biggest threat, the Yonhap news agency reported Friday.

In contrast, most Japanese polled consider South Korea to be "nationalistic," said a joint survey by the East Asia Institute in Seoul and Genron NPO, a Japanese think tank, taken in May and June.

Meanwhile, some 70.9 percent of Koreans surveyed said they have a negative impression of Japan, though that figure is down 5.7 percent from the previous year.

As many as 53.1 percent of South Koreans polled think Japan has a "militaristic" social and political system. Only 5.3 percent picked "pacifist."

But the respondents in both Seoul and Tokyo saw a low possibility of actual military confrontation between the two sides.

Only 34.1 percent of South Koreans believe their country might engage in a war with Japan in the future, compared with 8.8 percent of Japanese who thought the same way.

According to the survey, historical and territorial issues are the major factors affecting bilateral relations. As many as 76.8 percent of South Koreans cited Japan's inadequate repentance over the history of invasion as the cause for their negative impression.

As to how to solve historical issues, most South Koreans say Japan must treat textbook and comfort women issues seriously.

As many as 39.4 percent of South Koreans believe bilateral relations will likely worsen, up 13 percentage points from the previous poll.

In South Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, former prime ministers Juichiro Koizumi and Nakasone Yasuhiro are the most well-known Japanese politicians. A whopping 75.9 percent of South Korean respondents say they dislike Abe.