Arab News Japan

TOKYO: A survey conducted by the Asahi newspaper in Japan has found that most people think Japan relies too much on the United States, while some see the relationship in a positive light.

In the survey, 95 percent of respondents said they believe Japan relies on the United States, with the top reason being the Japan-US Security Treaty that was signed in 1951.

The next most important response was “Japan’s diplomacy subordinates itself to the US,” followed by “the Japanese economy tends to follow US markets and policies.”

Other responses included “people are more concerned over who will be the next US president than the next Japanese prime minister,” “IT technology and industry originate in the US,” and “Japan is heavily influenced by American entertainment.”

Of the 5 percent who disagreed with the premise, the top reason was “the economies of Japan and the US are mutually interdependent.”

Other responses included “Japan also contributes its share for maintaining security,” “Japan has succeeded in the US in some industries, such as automobiles” and “Japanese diplomacy functions independently of America’s.”

However, the responses did not appear to affect a generally favorable opinion of the US. To the question, “Do you like the United States?” Around 69 percent of all respondents answered “yes.”

A third question posed to the subjects was, “Do you think the outcome of the Pacific War (World War II) is a factor affecting the current relationship?” Of these, 83 percent of the majority group replied “yes.”

The survey also invited comments from the respondents. One 75-year-old man said, “More than reliance on the US, it’s subordination.”

A 59-year-old Tokyo man commented: “Despite the US using atomic bombs, which killed many civilians, I wonder why the Japanese have become so subservient to the US?”

On the other hand, a 66-year-old man from Kanagawa said: “If the Empire of Japan had not lost the war, the situation would be even worse. The current reliance on or subordination to the US isn’t the worst outcome that could have happened.” 

Others had positive views of the US as a multicultural country and a leading baseball country.