Tokyo, 07 March, /AJMEDIA/
TOKYO – Over 86 percent of people polled in a Japanese government survey released Tuesday said they see a danger of the country being involved in a war, a figure that is slightly up from the previous poll in 2018.
In the Cabinet Office survey, conducted between Nov. 17 and Dec. 25, 86.2 percent of the respondents said they see such danger or would say there is if they had to say, the highest figure since the 2009 survey when the response choices were changed to the current format. In the previous survey, 85.5 percent of the polled cited such a risk.
A Defense Ministry official said the respondents seem to believe there is a worsening security environment due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, China’s military moves in the East and South China seas and North Korea’s repeated launches of ballistic missiles.
In a multiple-response question asking why they see such danger, 85.7 percent cited international tensions and conflicts, while 38.2 said the United Nations is not functioning sufficiently and 28.2 percent said Japan does not have sufficient defenses.
The survey also showed that fewer people were satisfied with the Self-Defense Forces’ current capability at 53.0 percent, down from 60.1 percent in the previous survey in 2018, while 41.5 percent said they believe it should be enhanced, increasing from 29.1 percent in the 2018 poll. Some 3.6 percent said it should be reduced, down from 4.5 percent.
The survey took place around the time last year when the government updated the country’s three key defense documents in which it pledged to enhance its deterrence by obtaining “counterstrike capabilities” to hit targets in enemy territory in case of emergency. Japan also committed to doubling its defense spending.
When asked which defense-related issues are of concern in a multiple-response question, North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles drew the highest number at 68.9 percent, followed by Japan’s level of defense capabilities at 64.0 percent.
China’s modernization of its military and its moves at sea around Japan was picked as concerning by 61.3 percent of the respondents and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by 52.1 percent.
In a new question about using cutting-edge science and technology developed by universities and private companies for defense purposes, 83.6 percent said they are in favor or are moderately so, while 15.1 percent said they are against the idea.
The Cabinet Office noted that the latest data cannot be compared directly with previous figures as the survey method shifted from in-person interviews to mail-in surveys due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Cabinet Office surveyed 3,000 men and women at least 18 years old, of whom 53.4 percent responded.
