Nearly 90% of Japan’s population considers the security environment to be tough

Tokyo, April 20 (Jiji Press). Almost 90 percent of Japanese citizens consider the East Asian security climate to be tough, according to an opinion poll released Wednesday by the Foreign Ministry.

The survey found that 88 percent of respondents think that the region is facing a very or slightly tough security environment. This is up from 82.4 percent last year.

According to a ministry official, people seem to recognize North Korea’s missile and nuclear development, China’s growing assertiveness, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “threatening attempts to alter the status quo through force”.

When asked about a response to Ukraine’s war, with multiple options, 64.6 percent of respondents responded that Japan should work with the international community.

The survey revealed that 63.7 percent of respondents wanted Japan to accept more Ukrainians fleeing war. 41.6 percent wanted to tighten sanctions against Russia.