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OPINION POLL (P05-6)

Public Opinion Survey on Diplomacy by the Cabinet Office of Japan (Abridged)

Date Conducted

October 2004

Released

December 2004

Methodology

The Cabinet Office of Japan conducts annual public opinion polls on Japanese attitudes toward other countries. The poll surveys 2067 males and females over the age of 20.

Key Issues

• Japan’s attitutes toward the United States, China and Korea.
• Economic cooperation
• Japan’s role in the United Nations

Link to Original Source

http://www8.cao.go.jp/survey/h16/h16-gaikou/3.html

Disclaimer

The Mansfield Foundation is responsible for the translation of this Cabinet Office poll, subject to the Mansfield Foundation Terms of Use.

1. Japan’s relationship with foreign countries

Q1. Do you have an affinity toward the United States, or not? (Same questions for Russia, China, Korea, etc.) Please choose one of the following. (N=2067)

	A) Have an affinity	B) Tend to have an affinity	C) Tend not to have an affinity	D) Don't have an affinity	E) Don't know
United States	28.5%	43.3	15.5	9.6	3.0
Russia	2.4	13.9	44.2	33.7	5.8
China	8.2	29.4	35.5	22.7	4.2
Korea	14.0	42.6	23.0	16.2	4.1
Southeast Asian countries (Thailand, Indonesia, etc.)	7.0	34.4	29.4	19.0	10.1
South Asian countries (India, Pakistan, etc.)	2.7	19.3	40.6	24.3	13.2
Western European countries (France, UK, etc.)	11.7	44.8	22.5	13.9	7.1
Australia, New Zealand	17.0	43.7	17.4	13.5	8.4
Canada	14.7	38.3	22.8	14.7	9.6
Middle Eastern countries	1.3	12.1	38.4	32.8	15.3
Island countries in the Pacific (Papua New Guinea, Belau, Fiji, etc.)	5.2	23.3	28.3	26.7	16.6
Central Asian and Caucasian countries (Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, etc.)	1.5	10.6	31.7	34.9	21.3

Q2. Do you think the relationship between Japan and the United States is good, or not? (Same questions for Russia, China, Korea, etc.) Please choose one of the following. (N=2067)

	A) Good	B)Somewhat good	C) Not so good	D) Not good	E) It depends	F) Don't know
United States	27.5%	49.3	12.7	3.5	2.5	4.5
Russia	1.7	26.9	40.9	16.4	3.6	10.6
China	2.9	25.3	42.2	18.8	3.9	7.0
Korea	9.0	46.5	24.9	10.0	3.0	6.6
Southeast Asian countries (Thailand, Indonesia, etc.)	5.7	44.7	19.7	7.1	3.7	19.1
South Asian countries (India, Pakistan, etc.)	2.1	30.2	31.0	9.3	4.5	22.9
Western European countries (France, UK, etc.)	7.5	52.3	17.4	4.7	4.1	14.1
Australia, New Zealand	12.4	51.2	12.7	4.5	3.4	15.7
Canada	10.3	49.2	14.9	4.5	3.4	17.8
Middle Eastern countries	1.2	21.9	32	16.2	5.5	23.2
Island countries in the Pacific (Papua New Guinea, Belau, Fiji, etc.)	3.5	30.2	21.9	9.1	3.9	31.4
Central Asian and Caucasian countries (Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, etc.)	1.1	18.8	26.8	13.2	4.2	36.1

Q3. Regarding North Korea, please choose as many items in which you are interested from the following list. (N=2067)

A) Political system	42.4%
B) North-South issues	24.7
C) Negotiations to normalize Japan-N. Korea diplomatic relations	35.0
D) Japanese abductee issues	88.3
E) Suspicious boat issues	43.1
F) Nuclear development issues	56.6
G) Missile issues	56.2
H) Illegal activities including drug smuggling	36.5
I) So-called "settlement of the past"	16.9
J) Refugee issues	21.1
K) Food aid	47.1
L) Japanese spouses' visit to their home town	18.2
M) Sightseeing	4.5
N) Economic exchanges including trade	8.5
O) Cultural exchanges	5.2
Q) Sports exchanges	4.9
R) Others	0.4
S) Nothing special	2.8
T) Don't know	1.2

Q4. How do you obtain information about foreign countries? Please choose as many as apply from the following. (N=2067)

A) Newspapers	78.8%
B) General magazines	13.4
C) Government publications	2.6
D) TV	94.6
E) Radio	18.1
F) Foreign films	7.4
G) Internet	14.6
H) Overseas travel	6.9
I) Interaction with foreigners in Japan	3.3
J) Others	0.5
K) Nothing in particular	1.6

SQ. For those who choose A-J in Q4, with the means you selected, what kind of information do you obtain? Please select as many as apply from the following. (N=2033)

A) Politics	63.0%
B) International affairs	67.3
C) Economy, industry	46.2
D) Security	30.5
E) Geography, history	14.6
F) Science, technology	13.2
G) Society, living	39.0
H) Culture, art	32.0
I) Language	7.0
J) Others	0.7
K) Don't know	3.0

2. Economic cooperation

Q5. Developed countries provide economic cooperation, including financial aid and technical assistance, for developing countries. What do you think about Japan’s economic cooperation in the future? Please choose one of the following. (N=2067)

A) Should advance cooperation actively	18.7%
B) Current level of cooperation is sufficient	44.2
C) Should cut cooperation as much as possible	25.6
D) Should stop completely	3.1
E) Don't know	8.4

SQa. For those who answered A) in Q5, why do you think that way? Please choose as many as apply from the following. (N=387)

A) It is developed countries' humanitarian obligation to help developing countries	61.8%
B) It can contribute to stability of developing countries and world peace	62.5
C) Japan as a country with a huge trade surplus has a responsibility to help developing countries that suffer from accumulated debts, etc.	23.8
D) Economic cooperation is an important tool for Japan's diplomacy	38.8
E) Without political stability and economic development in developing countries, Japanese economy cannot advance	30.7
F) Economic cooperation for developing countries can help Japan secure stable energy resources	25.3
G) Japan will be isolated if only Japan does not provide economic cooperation	21.2
H) Japan should use its technology and experience to solve developing countries' environmental issues, etc.	40.8
I) Others	--
J) No specific reason	--
K) Don't know	0.3

SQb. For those who answered C) or D), why do you think that way? Please choose as many as apply from the following. (N=593)

A) Japan's domestic economic condition is not good	74.5%
B) Type of actual economic cooperation is not clear	42.5
C) There are many areas where Japan's current economic cooperation is inefficient due to lack of consideration for local situations and needs	34.9
D) Do not feel that Japan's economic cooperation is appreciated by developing countries	28.3
E) Economic cooperation is not fully utilized as Japan's diplomatic tool	18.9
F) Current economic assistance is inefficient, in such areas as coordination with related agencies, management and operation of donated equipments, etc.	16.7
G) Japan's financial situation is not good	43.5
H) Others	1.5
I) No specific reason	0.7
J) Don't know	0.3

Q6. On what region do you think Japan should focus its economic cooperation in future? Please choose one from the following. (N=2067)

A) Asia	49.4%
B) Middle East	5.6
C) Central and Eastern Europe	0.8
D) Africa	10.7
E) Central and South America and Caribbean region	0.7
F) Island countries in the Pacific	0.8
G) Equally in all regions	16.1
H) Don't know	15.9

SQ. For those who answered A) in Q6, where in Asia do you think Japan should focus its economic cooperation? Please choose one from the following. (N=1021)

A) Northeast Asia (China, Mongolia, etc.)	44.9%
B) Southeast Asia (Thailand, Indonesia, etc.)	37.8
C) South Asia (India, Pakistan, etc.)	7.9
D) Central Asia and Caucasus region (Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, etc.)	3.8
E) Others	0.3
F) Don't know	5.3

3. Japan’s role in the United Nations

Q7. Currently about 90 countries send personnel for UN peace keeping operations (PKOs). Japan has participated in international humanitarian assistance activities, such as PKOs in Cambodia, Golan Heights and East Timor, refugee relief activities in Rwanda, Afghanistan and Iraq, and international election monitoring activities in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and East Timor. Do you think Japan should participate in these activities including PKOs in the future? Please choose one of the following. (N=2067)

A) Should participate more actively than before	22.2%
B) Should participate at the current level	46.8
C) Should participate but at a minimal level	17.7
D) Should not participate	4.4
E) Others	0.3
F) Don't know	8.5

Q8. At the United Nations, discussion is moving forward on expanding the Security Council in order to strengthen its functions and reform the unfair distribution of seats among different regions. What do you think about the possibility of Japan joining the permanent members of the Security Council? Please choose one of the following. (N=2067)

A) Support	25.8%
B) Tend to support	36.8
C) Tend to oppose	11.7
D) Oppose	4.3
E) Others	0.2
F) Don't know	21.2

SQa. For those who answered A) or B), why do you think that way? Please choose one of the following. (N=1294)

A) Japan should actively contribute to world peace since it has become an economic superpower.	19.6%
B) It is wrong that Japan cannot be a part of important decision- making processes while it makes enormous financial contributions to the United Nations.	32.8
C) Helps world peace as Japan does not have nuclear weapons and has pacifism as its basic principle	25.7
D) Japan can reflect its ideas on UN's important decisions	11.8
E) Will allow Japan to help UN activities more actively	7.7
F) Others	0.5
G) Don't know	1.9

SQb. For those who answered C) or D), why do you think that way? Please choose one of the following. (N=330)

A) Will have to make even more financial contributions to the UN than now once Japan becomes a permanent member of the Security Council.	25.2%
B) Japan should not be a part of any decision making that approves use of force even if it does not participate directly in military operations.	16.1
C) Will have to actively participate in UN's military operations once Japan becomes a permanent member of the Security Council.	18.5
D) Can make enough international contributions in such non-military areas as economic, social and environmental areas without becoming a permanent member of the Security Council	22.4
E) Should revise the Constitution before Japan becomes a permanent member of the Security Council	8.8
F) Don't support the United Nations per se	5.5
G) Others	1.8
H) Don't know	1.8

Q9. What areas do you think are important when Japan actively promotes international cooperation through the United Nations? Please choose as many as apply. (N=2067)

A) Maintenance of international peace and security	70.4%
B) Assistance for developing countries	32.3
C) Science, technology and space exploration	13.2
D) Human rights issues	32.7
E) Refugee relief	33.2
F) Disarmament and nonproliferation (prevent proliferation of nuclear weapons, missiles, etc.)	39.0
G) Small arm issues and anti-personal land mine issues (removal of mines,assistance for victims, etc.)	20.7
H) Narcotics issues	27.7
I) Environmental issues	41.3
J) Population issues	10.4
K) Improvement of women's status	11.3
L) Crime prevention (firearms trafficking, etc.)	22.5
M) Anti-terrorism	43.4
N) Protection and promotion of children's rights	19.2
O) Measures for the disabled and elderly	17.2
P) Help for UN finance	5.9
Q) UN reform	7.8
R) Health issues such as infectious disease, etc. (AIDS, malaria, etc.)	25.1
S) Others	0.4
T) Don't know	5.6

4. External economy

Q10. On which areas do you think Japan should focus when it promotes its economic relations with foreign countries? Please choose as many as apply. (N=2067)

A) Promotion of liberalization of trade and investment, including utilization of such mechanisms as free trade agreements (FTAs) and economic partnership agreements (EPAs) with specific countries and regions, and World Trade Organization (WTO) initiatives	34.3%
B) Securing energy resources	58.5
C) Securing food	41.1
D) Promotion of direct investment to Japan	7.0
E) Support for Japanese corporations' overseas activities	24.3
F) Protection of intellectual property rights including patents	12.4
G) Promotion of tourism to Japan	12.9
H) Promotion of understanding about Japanese economy among foreign countries (more active public relations)	19.0
I) Others	0.1
J) Don't know	12.1

Q11. On what regions in the world do you think Japan should focus when it promotes its economic relations with foreign countries? Please choose as many as apply. (N=2067)

A) Northeast Asia (Korea, China and Mongolia)	51.2%
B) Southeast Asia (Thailand, Indonesia, etc.)	25.5
C) South Asia (India, Pakistan, etc.)	13.0
D) Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, island nations in the Pacific)	14.2
E) Middle East	15.2
F) Africa	8.0
G) Russia	9.8
H) Central Asia and Caucasian countries (Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, etc.)	2.7
I) Central and Eastern Europe (Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, etc.)	2.3
J) Western Europe (France, UK, etc.)	12.3
K) North America (US and Canada)	25.9
L) Central and South America and Caribbean countries (Mexico, Brazil, Jamaica, etc.)	6.2
M) Should promote equally regardless of the region	15.3
N) Don't know	14.0

5. Cultural exchange

Q12. On which areas do you think Japan should focus when it promotes its cultural exchange with foreign countries? Please choose as many as apply. (N=2067)

A) Exchanges among scholars, artists, intellectuals, etc.	17.5%
B) Exchanges among youths	27.5
C) Exchanges among students	18.1
D) Sports exchanges	27.6
E) Local exchanges by citizens' groups, local governments, etc.	9.4
F) Introduction to traditional Japanese culture (flower arrangement, tea ceremony, Kabuki, etc.)	12.7
G) Introduction to contemporary Japanese culture (accurately informing foreigners about contemporary Japan through public speaking, exhibitions, video, etc.)	15.3
H) Introduction of foreign cultures to Japan	8.1
I) Spread of Japanese language	6.0
J) Promotion of Japan studies in foreign countries	4.0
K) Intellectual exchanges (organizing seminars and symposiums, exchanges between research institutes, etc.)	9.0
L) Cooperation for preservation of ruins and cultural heritages in foreign countries	12.3
M) Providing grant assistance for purchasing equipments for cultural activities	1.6
N) Others	0.4
O) Don't know	10.0

Q13. On what regions in the world do you think Japan should focus when it promotes its cultural exchanges with foreign countries? Please choose as many as apply. (N=2067)

A) Northeast Asia (Korea, China and Mongolia)	44.0%
B) Southeast Asia (Thailand, Indonesia, etc.)	22.2
C) South Asia (India, Pakistan, etc.)	12.6
D) Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, island nations in the Pacific)	12.9
E) Middle East	7.2
F) Africa	5.9
G) Russia	8.5
H) Central Asia and Caucasian countries (Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, etc.)	3.3
I) Central and Eastern Europe (Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, etc.)	5.0
J) Western Europe (France, UK, etc.)	19.1
K) North America (US and Canada)	22.1
L) Central and South America and Caribbean countries (Mexico, Brazil, Jamaica, etc.)	7.7
M) Should promote equally regardless of the region	25.5
N) Don't know	13.3

6. Protection of Japanese nationals

Q14. What do you think about protection of and support for Japanese nationals who have encountered such incidents as traffic accidents, crimes, and sickness overseas? Please choose one of the following. (N=2067)

A) Individuals or home companies/organizations should deal with them on their own.	9.4%
B) Individuals or home companies/organizations should deal with them on their own as much as possible, but if they cannot, the government, embassies and consulates should provide protection and support.	39.0
C) Even if individuals or home companies/organizations can deal with them on their own, the government, embassies and consulates should actively provide protection and support.	22.2
D) Under any circumstances, the government, embassies and consulates should provide protection and support	24.5
E) Others	0.3
F) Don't know	4.5

7. Roles that Japan should play

Q15. Mainly, what roles do you think Japan should play in the international community? Please choose up to two of the following. (N=2067)

A) Contribution to maintaining world peace such as efforts toward peaceful solutions for regional conflicts including physical support	51.9%
B) International efforts to protect internationally universal values, such as freedom, democracy and human rights.	16.1
C) Humanitarian support for refugee and displaced people (especially children and women)	25.0
D) Contribution to advancing a healthy world economy	19.9
E) Cooperation to advance developing countries	15.0
F) Contribution to solving global issues such as global environmental issues.	38.4
G) Contribution to international cultural exchanges, such as cooperation in preserving cultural heritages throughout the world.	5.5
H) Others	0.1
I) Don't know	8.3

< Face sheet>
F1. Gender

Male	47.8%
Female	52.2

F2. Age. How old are you?

20-24	4.5%
25-29	5.9
30-34	7.9
35-39	7.8
40-44	7.4
45-49	8.3
50-54	9.8
55-59	10.4
60-64	10.9
65-69	9.3
70-	17.9

F3. Occupation. What is your occupation?

Self-employed
Agriculture, forestry and fishery	3.0%
Business, engineering and service	7.8
Freelance	0.9
Family business employee
Agriculture, forestry and fishery	1.2
Business, engineering and service	2.5
Freelance	0.2
Employee
Manager	3.3
Expert, technician	1.1
Clerical worker	17.3
Laborer	18.7
Unemployed
Housewife	25.8
Student	1.5
Others	16.6

F4. Overseas Experience. Have you been to a foreign country? Please choose one of the following.

A) Have lived in a foreign country for longer than three months	3.7%
B) Have been to a foreign country	51.4
C) Have never been to a foreign country	44.9