Despite the intensifying rhetoric over next year’s trade talks between U.S. and Japan, Americans still view the East Asian country positively, as key to their own progress.
Research released this week from the Chicago Council of Global Affairs, a global affairs think tank based in Chicago, shows that more than 90 percent of Americans believe the U.S.-Japan relationship is important for the U.S. economy. Additionally, about 8 in 10 say the same relationship is important for U.S. security, as public support to defend America’s East Asian allies against threats such as North Korea is on the rise.
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And the support is bipartisan. The survey conducted July 12 to 31, reveals little variation between the major political parties in the U.S., with both Democrats and the Republicans agreeing that Japan should be included for further international cooperation.
“In 2018 a growing majority of Americans (66 percent) say that the United States should place a higher priority on building up strong relations with traditional allies such as Japan and South Korea, even if this diminishes U.S. relations with China,” say the authors of the report.
The results also show Americans’ support for forging strong relationships with East Asian allies is increasing. In 2010, U.S. public support for maintaining strong relationships with Japan and South Korea was at 58 percent.
Americans’ support for U.S. military bases in Japan is also at an all-time high, the study revealed, at 65 percent. More so, 64 percent of those surveyed also supported defending Japan from North Korea if necessary.
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“The public’s support for the use of U.S. troops to defend Japan from North Korean attacks has risen sharply in recent years,” say the authors of the report. “Today, two in three Americans (64 percent) say they would support using U.S. troops if North Korea attacks Japan, with majorities of Republicans (70 percent), Democrats (62 percent) and independents (63 percent) in agreement.”
Americans, however, have a more nuanced opinion about involvement in any potential conflict between Japan and China. Only about 2 in 5 say U.S. troops should get involved in any clash over disputed islands involving the two countries.
Overall, Americans’ views of Japan’s global influence has declined in the recent decade, going from 6.6 on a 0-to-10 scale in 2002 to 5.7 in 2018, with 0 being the least influential.
The Chicago survey comes at a time when the Japanese themselves trust the current U.S. administration less than other governments around the world. According to a recent survey by bipartisan think tank Pew Research Center, only 30 percent of Japanese respondents express confidence in President Donald Trump handling world affairs, and are more inclined to favor European leaders such as Angela Merkel of Germany and Emanuel Macron of France.
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The findings also come as Washington and Tokyo prepare for high-level trade talks in 2019. Key U.S. business sectors such as the automobile and agriculture industries are lobbying the Trump administration to take a hard line against Japan on issues such as currency manipulation at next year’s talk.
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9 in 10 Americans Say Japan is Important to the U.S. Economy originally appeared on usnews.com
