Press Releases

1. When asked how they evaluated the efforts by Prime Minister ABE Shinzo, former Minister for Foreign Affairs KISHIDA Fumio, former Minister for Foreign Affairs KONO Taro, and current Minister for Foreign Affairs MOTEGI Toshimitsu, for their frequent visits to other countries as part of Japan’s “Diplomacy that Takes a Panoramic Perspective of the World Map,” 74.8% of respondents were positive in their evaluation (answering either that they “highly value them” or “somewhat highly value them”), and surpass by far the respondents who indicated a negative evaluation, which was 18.5% (answering either that they “do not rather value them” or “do not value them”).

2. When asked whether they thought that the security environment surrounding the East Asian region is becoming increasingly severe in recent years, 84.9% of respondents responded that they think the environment is becoming increasingly severe (either “very much think so” or “somewhat think so”).

3. When asked about Japan’s efforts towards the realization of a “society where women shine,” including the holding of the World Assembly for Women (WAW!), 52.6% of respondents indicated a positive evaluation (answering either that “these are positive efforts” or “these are somewhat positive efforts”). On the other hand, 33.9% of respondents indicated that they “have not heard about WAW! so cannot evaluate these efforts.”

4. When asked what values or aspects of its society Japan should showcase to the world on the occasion of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, the most popular response, accounting for 80.1% of the total, was “reconstruction from disaster and disaster risk reduction,” followed by “Japan’s national characteristics (culture of hospitality, etc.)” (78.8%), “sustainability initiatives such as recycling and the use of renewable energy” (77.1%), and “the active participation of people with disabilities in society” (73.8%), each of which accounted for over 70% of the total (multiple answers allowed).

5. When asked about the major challenges that Japan needs to prioritize under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the most popular response, accounting for 78.0% of the total was “education,” followed by “disaster risk reduction” (77.8%), and “environment” (75.5%), each of which was considered to be a major challenge by over 75% of respondents (multiple answers allowed).

6. When asked about the policies and initiatives of the Government of Japan to promote free trade, 76.1% of respondents indicated a positive evaluation (answering either that they “highly value them” or “somewhat highly value them”).

7. When asked about which regions should be given particular priority in Japan’s development assistance efforts, the most popular response, accounting for just under 70% of the total, was Southeast Asia (Thailand, Indonesia, etc.; 68.0%), followed by Africa (59.6%) and Southwest Asia (India, Pakistan, etc.; 57.9%), each of which accounted for approximately 60% of the total (multiple answers allowed).

8. When asked about the areas in which Japan-U.S. relations should be strengthened with three years having passed since the inauguration of the Trump administration, the most popular response was “security” (including counterterrorism, and disarmament and non-proliferation; 78.8%), followed by “people-to-people and cultural exchanges” (76.8%), “economy, trade and finance” (74.7%), and “energy and environment” (71.6%), each of which accounted for over 70% of the total (multiple answers allowed).

9. When asked how they evaluated the Japan-U.S. Security Arrangements based on the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, with this year marking the 60th anniversary of the signing and entry into force of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, 68.9% of respondents indicated a positive evaluation (answering either that they “highly value them” or “somewhat highly value them”), accounting for just under 70% of the total.

10. When asked about the areas in which cooperation between Japan and Southeast Asian countries should be strengthened, the most popular response was “economy (trade, investment, finance, etc.; 84.2%) followed by “promotion of mutual understanding through visits and cultural exchange” (79.0%), “defense and security” (73.6%), and “infrastructure and human resources development through official development assistance” (73.5%), each of which accounted for over 70% of the total.

11. When asked about how Japan should involve itself diplomatically in the Middle East, in light of growing tensions in the region, 70.8% of respondents indicated that they think Japan should involve itself (answering either that Japan “should make active diplomatic efforts towards easing tensions” or “should somewhat involve itself towards easing tensions”).