1. How the Japanese See Themselves, the U.S. and Their World
Bruce Stokes
Director, Global Economic Attitudes National Press Club, January 23, 2018

2. Pew Research Center Established 1996
June, 2015
Pew Research Center
Established 1996
Funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, Foundations
Non-profit, non-partisan fact tank in Washington
Research topics:
U.S. politics
Media and the news
Social trends
Religion
Internet and technology
Science
Hispanics
Global public opinion and migration

3. Methodology
In Japan, survey conducted from March 8 to April 2, 2017 among 1,009 respondents
Based on telephone interviews with samples of adults 18 and older
The margin of sampling error for the completed set of weighted data is ±3.7%
In other Asian-Pacific countries, survey conducted from February 17 to May 8, 2017 among 7,474 respondents
Based on telephone and face-to-face interviews with samples of adults 18 and older
The margin of sampling error for the completed set of weighted data is ± 3.7% - ±5.2%

4. The Economic mood 4

5. Japanese Economic Sentiment Has Been on the Upswing

6. Japanese Know Life is Better Today But Are Worried About External Economic Threats and the Financial Prospects of Today’s Children

7. Views of the Government and Japanese Democracy7

8. Majority Trust Their Government but Are Divided Over the Performance of Their Democracy

9. In Japan, Roughly Half or More Back Democracy, Rule by Experts
Would __ be a very good, somewhat good, somewhat bad or very bad way of governing our country?
Note: Full question wordings for political systems: Representative democracy, “A democratic system where representatives elected by citizens decide what becomes law”; Direct democracy, “A democratic system where citizens, not elected officials, vote directly on major national issues to decide what becomes law; Rule by experts, “Experts, not elected officials, make decisions according to what they think is best for the country”; Rule by a strong leader, “A system in which a strong leader can make decisions without interference from parliament or the courts”; Rule by the military, “The military rules the country”.

10. Japan and the World 10

11. Japanese See the World as a Dangerous Place
__ is a major threat to our country

12. Most Japanese Feel Diversity Makes Their Country a Worse Place
Overall, having people of many different backgrounds,
such as different ethnic groups, religions and races, makes our country …

13. Japanese People Are Divided on Whether China’s Growing Economy and Military Power Are Good
China’s growing __ is a good thing

14. The Japanese Public Is Quite Negative on China

15. Japanese Public Finds North Korean Nuclear Weapons Very Concerning
How concerned are you about North Korea having nuclear weapons?
Source: Spring 2017 Global Attitudes Survey.
November 11, 2018

16. Japanese Favor Increasing Sanctions Against North Korea
Which is the better option for dealing with North Korea’s nuclear program?

17. Few Japanese Are Positive Toward Putin or Russia

18. Asia-Pacific Views of Japan Have Improved Somewhat
Favorable view of Japan
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Change %
Australia 78 – 80 79 88
+10
Vietnam 77 82 86
+9*
South Korea 22 25 31 +9
Philippines 81 +4
Indonesia 71 76 -3
India 49 43 46 44 42 -7
*Question was not asked in Vietnam in The difference shown is for

19. Japan and the U.S. 19

20. Japanese Closely Follow News About the U.S.
How closely do you follow news specifically about the United States?
Source: Spring 2017 Global Attitudes Survey.

21. And Japanese Are Big Supporters of American Soft Power
Japan
Global Median
Diff %
It’s good that U.S. ideas and customs are spreading here 62 38
+24
I like American ideas about democracy 63 43
+20
The U.S. respects the personal freedoms of its people 69 54
+15
I like American music, movies and television 73 65 +8
Source: Spring 2017 Global Attitudes Survey.
Note: Global median is based on 37 nations including Japan.

22. But the Japanese View of the U. S
But the Japanese View of the U.S. and Confidence in the American President Has Declined Sharply

23. Young Japanese Are More Pro-American
18-29
30-49
50+
Young - Old
Diff %
Favorable view of the U.S. 67 62 51
+16
Confidence in U.S. President 31 27 20
+11
The U.S. is the world’s leading economic power 68 65 59 +9
Favorable view of Americans 74 80 73 +1
Source: Spring 2017 Global Attitudes Survey.

24. Trump’s Policies on Immigration, Climate, Trade Are Widely Unpopular in Japan
Do you approve or disapprove of President Donald Trump’s proposed policy to …

25. Young Japanese Are More Supportive of Trump Policies
Approve of President Donald Trump’s proposed policy to…
18-29
30-49
50+
Young - Old
Difference %
Introduce tighter restrictions on those entering U.S. from some Muslim-majority countries 41 30 18
+23
Build a wall on the border between the U.S. & Mexico 19 8
+22
Withdraw U.S. support from the Iran nuclear weapons agreement 40 37 22
+18
Withdraw U.S. support for major trade agreements 20 28 9
+11
Withdraw U.S. support for international climate change agreements 16 17 10 +6
Source: Spring 2017 Global Attitudes Survey.

26. The Japanese See President Trump as Arrogant, Intolerant
% saying they think of Donald Trump as …

27. Although Young Japanese Are Less Critical of Trump
% saying they think of Donald Trump as …
18-29
30-49
50+
Young-old difference %
A strong leader 64 41
+23
Well-qualified to be president 28 16 10
+18
Caring about ordinary people 36 26 19
+17
Charismatic 60 46
+14
Dangerous 55 51 59 -4
Intolerant 53 65
-12
Arrogant 68 79 83
-15
Note: Statistically significant differences in bold.

28. The Japanese Believe the U. S
The Japanese Believe the U.S. Would Help Them in a Conflict With North Korea or China
If Japan and __ got into a serious military conflict, do you think that the U.S. would use military force to defend our country?

29. However, the Japanese See U. S
However, the Japanese See U.S.-Japan Relations Getting Worse Under Trump
Now that Donald Trump is the president of the United States, relations between Japan and the U.S. will …

30. All Pew Research Center reports and data are available online at www
All Pew Research Center reports and data are available online at
Bruce Stokes
Director, Global Economic Attitudes
@bruceestokes