By Ankit Panda
A new study sheds light on public attitudes in the United States and Japan.
The alliance between the United States and Japan is turning out to be one of the more important geopolitical features of the Asia-Pacific region amid China’s rise. Over the past 40 some years, the alliance has been central to Asia’s security architecture. As times change in the region, so has the alliance. Japan, long a pacifist state without much of an interest in military matters, is redefining the role of its Self-Defense Forces following a resolution that now allows the country to exercise the right to collective self-defense. As a consequence of that move, the United States and Japan are revisiting their defense cooperation guidelines — the terms that govern the nature of military cooperation between the two countries.
While we broadly understand how the alliance works on a state-to-state level, there is often less reflection about just how close the United States and Japan are in terms of public opinion. As flourishing democratic societies, the opinions of the broader public have a direct and measurable impact on government policies. A Pew Research study released on April 7 offers the most comprehensive and robust measurement of U.S. and Japanese public opinion as it relates to their broader bilateral relationship and security cooperation in Asia. The picture painted by the report is positive: “About two-thirds of Americans trust Japan a great deal or a fair amount and three-quarters of Japanese say they trust the United States.” Additionally, citizens of both states are commonly skeptical of China’s intentions: “Just 30% of Americans and 7% of Japanese trust China,” the study’s authors note.
Read the full story at The Diplomat