I apologize in advance if I cause offence with this question, but I am curious about these two terms.

反日 can be translated as “anti-Japan(ese)”. I have seen one example of this term being used to refer to the education system of South Korea. I have never lived in South Korea or Japan, so I don't know if the South Korean education system is truly anti-Japanese. Also, I have seen a question on a Japanese Q&A site asking what 反日 meant, because the questioner was accused of this for advocating the abolition of the death penalty. I suppose the death penalty is a sensitive topic for some people.

日本たたき can be translated as “Japan-bashing”. It seems that if you criticize something in Japan on the Internet, someone will accuse you of this. Personally, I think there is a difference between pointing out an issue in a country and using a country as a punching bag.

Like I said, I would like to know if there is there is a difference between the two terms. They seem to have a connection, but is it possible that they are used for different things? Thanks in advance!

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反日 itself refers to a certain ideology, whereas 日本たたき refers to observable actions like spreading biased news. In short, people who received 反日教育 or believe in 反日思想 may end up doing 日本たたき.

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  • Oooooh! So the difference lies in the thinking in your head and the actions you do. Thank you kindly for your explanation! – Micheal Gignac May 2 '19 at 13:06
  • This notion that 反日 refers exclusively to thought, while 日本たたき applies to action, seems somewhat misleading. 反日 can in fact refer to actions that are motivated by anti-Japanese thought or feelings; for example, a 反日デモ is an anti-Japanese demonstration. And in my experience, while the English term "Japan-bashing" properly refers only to criticism that is biased, unfair, or unduly harsh, Micheal is quite right to suggest that in practice 日本たたき is often used to refer to any criticism of Japan, whether or not it is biased or particularly harsh. – Nanigashi May 5 '19 at 21:34
  • @Nanigashi I disagree. 反日デモ refers to an action simply because デモ refers to an action. Just because 民主主義デモ refers to an action doesn't mean 民主主義 itself is an action. And are you suggesting 日本叩き is a neutral word? I believe there is a huge difference between simple 日本批判 and 日本叩き. – naruto May 5 '19 at 22:14
  • @naruto I think there is a huge difference between simple 日本批判 and 日本叩き. I think 批判 (criticism) is when you point out the flaws of something and try to suggest ways to improve them in an attempt to help. I think 叩き (bashing) is when you insult something because you hate it. I happen to believe that Japan has things that should be criticized. I also happen to believe that people have to learn how to criticize something without turning it into bashing. But that's just me. – Micheal Gignac May 12 '19 at 23:07

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