Press Releases

United States
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan contracted with the Harris Poll to conduct an opinion poll on the image of Japan in the United States from December 2020 to January 2021. In the general survey, 1,013 adults aged 18 and over responded online. In the opinion leader survey, 200 people in leading positions in the fields of government, business, academia, the news media, religion and labor unions responded via telephone.

• (1) 74% (vs. 63% in FY 2019) of the general public and 98% (vs. 67% in FY 2019) of opinion leaders viewed the Japan-U.S. relationship as “friendly” or “somewhat friendly.” 70% (vs. 85% in FY 2019) of the general public and 96% (vs. 89% in FY 2019) of opinion leaders perceived Japan as a reliable partner.
• (2) 36% (vs. 48% in FY 2019) of opinion leaders selected Japan as “the most reliable partner of the United States” in Asia or nearby countries, making Japan rank at the top of the list.
• (3) Regarding the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, 70% (vs. 73% in FY 2019) of the general public and 88% (vs. 93% in FY 2019) of opinion leaders responded that the United States should maintain the treaty. In addition, 85% (vs. 88% in FY 2019) of opinion leaders indicated that the treaty contributed to the peace and stability in East Asia “a great deal” or “a moderate amount,” and 94% (vs 92% in FY 2019) of opinion leaders deemed the treaty “very important” or “somewhat important” for the security of the United States. As for whether Japan should increase its defense capability, the most popular answer supported “maintaining the current level,” chosen by 37% of the general public and 60% of opinion leaders.
• (4) As for the Japan-U.S. economic relationship, approximately 50-60% (trade 63%, investment 59%, job creation 48%) of the general public viewed Japan’s influence on the U.S. economy as “positive.” Opinion leaders also ranked Japan within the top five countries (2nd in investment, 3rd in job creation, 4th in trade) that contributed the most to the U.S. economy.

Latin American and Caribbean Countries
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan commissioned Edelman Data Intelligence to conduct an opinion poll in seven Latin American and Caribbean countries (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Bolivia, Uruguay) with 2,300 respondents (400 each for Brazil and Mexico, and 300 each for the rest) aged from 18 to 64 through online interview in October 2020. (Note: The last opinion poll was conducted in FY2017 in Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Trinidad and Tobago and Mexico.)

• (1) 70% (previous survey: 72%) of the respondents answered “very friendly” or “friendly” on how they viewed their country’s relations with Japan. 74% (previous survey: 70%) of the respondents answered “very reliable” or “somewhat reliable” on how they rate Japan as a reliable friend.
• (2) 82% (previous survey: 79%) of the respondents answered “a lot” or “to some extent” on how much they valued Japan as a peace-loving nation for the past 75 years since the end of the World War II.
• (3) 82% (previous survey: 72%) of the respondents answered “very important role” or “important role” on what extent Japan plays an important role in stabilization and growth of the world economy.
• (4) 89% (previous survey: 78%) of the respondents answered “very valuable” or “valuable” on how they rate Japan’s proactive contribution to the peace and stability of the region and the international community for maintaining global peace and establishment of international order.
• (5) 72% (previous survey: 73%) of the respondents answered “They are contributing” or “They are contributing moderately” on whether the Japanese who immigrated to their country and the people of Japanese descents (Nikkei) are contributing to their society.

European Countries
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan commissioned Edelman Data Intelligence to conduct an online opinion poll in five countries in Europe (United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Hungary) with 500 respondents aged from 18 to 69 in each country from October through December 2020. (Note: The last opinion poll was conducted in FY2018 in the same five countries.)

• (1) 70% (previous survey: 69%) of the respondents answered “very friendly” or “somewhat friendly” on how they viewed their country’s relations with Japan. 67% (previous survey: 66%) of the respondents answered “very reliable” or “somewhat reliable” on how they rated Japan as a reliable friend.
• (2) 77% (previous survey: 78%) of the respondents answered that they valued Japan as a peace-loving nation for the past 75 years since the end of the World War II.
• (3) 77% (previous survey: 74%) of the respondents answered “very valuable” or “valuable” on how they rate Japan’s proactive contribution for maintaining global peace and establishment of international order.
• (4) 46% (previous survey: 40%) of the respondents chose Japan as an important partner for the respondent’s country in security and economic relations in the Indo-Pacific region, which ranked Japan first, followed by the United States (37%).
• (5) 47% of the respondents chose Japan as a country outside Europe with which Europe should strengthen its partnership under the impact of the spread of COVID-19, which ranked Japan first, followed by the United States (45%).