Asahi Reports:
Trump's "America First" Policy
Spreads Distrust in Japan
The Asahi Shimbun reported on the 27th that, based on a mail-in public opinion survey conducted from late February to early this month, only 15% of the 1,899 respondents answered that "the United States would genuinely protect Japan in an emergency." In contrast, 77% responded that they "do not think so."
The newspaper noted, "Although it is difficult to make a direct comparison due to differences in survey methods, the skeptical response rate in similar past surveys was just over 60%," and speculated that "the actions of the Donald Trump administration, which emphasizes America First, have led to this distrust."
Regarding Japanese diplomacy, 68% of respondents said "it is better for Japan to be as self-reliant as possible," a much higher proportion than the 24% who said "it is better to follow US preferences as much as possible." However, 66% opposed the idea that Japan should shift its US-focused diplomacy toward strengthening cooperation with Asian countries such as China.
In this survey, when asked whether Japan has sufficiently apologized and compensated for its past wars and colonial rule, 58% responded "Japan has done enough," while 29% said "it is still insufficient."
Additionally, regarding the necessity for Japanese politicians to continue issuing apology messages, 47% said "there is no need," exceeding the 44% who said "it is necessary." The newspaper explained that in a similar survey ten years ago, the percentage who said "it is necessary" (46%) was higher than those who said "there is no need" (42%), but this has now reversed.
As for the nature of the war that ended in 1945, responses were as follows: "war of aggression" 28%, "war of self-defense" 8%, "both aspects" 42%, and "not sure" 21%.
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