Japanese public opinion on US relations shifts significantly.
Japan’s NHK news network reported that a survey conducted by the Japanese Cabinet Office showed that only 70 percent of the Japanese public opinion considers relations with the United States to be “good,” a significant decline from last year.
Preliminary results of the survey show that 70.8 percent of Japanese people think that bilateral relations with the United States are good, a 14.7 percent decrease from last year (last year, the positive opinion rate was 85.5 percent).
This figure is the lowest level of acceptance of bilateral relations between the two countries among Japanese public opinion compared to 2008, when the rate of good relations between Japan and the United States reached 68.9 percent.
The survey, which was conducted by mail from September to November among 3,000 Japanese citizens aged 18 and over, saw only 1,688 people, or 55.5 percent, respond.
NHK added that the survey was conducted during months of difficult trade tariff negotiations between Tokyo and the Trump administration. A Japanese Foreign Ministry official said the declining public opinion regarding the positive nature of bilateral relations with the United States could be linked to various factors.