Percentage of Japanese who see ties with U.S. as ‘good’ declining

The percentage of Japanese who perceived the country’s relations with the United States as “good” fell to the lowest level in 17 years, a government survey showed, apparently reflecting the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.

The latest drop to 70.8 percent from the October 2024 poll’s 85.5 percent marked the most negative evaluation since 2008, when the ratio fell below 70 percent.

The Cabinet Office points out, however, that changes to the survey’s methodology does not allow for direct comparison.

A total of 70.8 percent of the respondents to the office’s annual diplomatic affairs survey said they think Japan-U.S. ties are “good” or “somewhat good,” while those who “feel friendly” toward the United States stood at 77.0 percent, down from 84.9 percent.

People who think Japan-China relations are tracking positively came to 13.3 percent, compared with 86.4 percent who said otherwise.

The survey was conducted from Sept 25 to Nov 2, before diplomatic relations between the Asian neighbors soured over comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi related to a Taiwan contingency.

Takaichi told parliament on Nov 7 that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could be a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, prompting Beijing to levy a series of measures, including a travel advisory against visiting Japan and the resuspension of Japanese seafood imports.

The survey also showed that 49.4 percent of the respondents consider Japan’s relations with South Korea as “good,” while only 6.3 percent said that ties with Russia were positive, continuing a stretch of single-digit returns that goes back to Moscow’s launch of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Asked about the issues of concern regarding North Korea, with multiple answers allowed, 79.4 percent cited the country’s abductions of Japanese nationals, followed by 72.7 percent that said missile issues and 67.5 percent the nation’s nuclear program.

The survey was mailed to 3,000 people aged 18 or older, yielding responses so far from 55.5 percent.