Japanese media closely watching! After a set of survey data released by the Pew Research Center in the United States, it has triggered significant attention from Japanese media! On July 16, Japan's Jiji Press reported that a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center shows that public favorability toward China has surpassed that of the United States across 36 countries and regions worldwide. The survey revealed that in 20 countries including Japan, favorability toward the United States declined by 12 percentage points year-on-year to 36%. Meanwhile, favorability toward China rose by 8 percentage points to 46%, reversing its previous downward trend.
In 27 countries and regions across Asia, Europe, and South America, views on China outperformed those on the United States. Countries such as the UK, France, and Italy saw a decline in their evaluations of the U.S. Japanese media openly stated that this reflects dissatisfaction with American security policies. Among the surveyed nations, nine—Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and others—maintained higher favorability toward the United States than toward China. Notably, Japan’s favorability toward China was the lowest. Clearly, why has this U.S. survey result triggered such intense scrutiny from Japanese media?
The fundamental reason likely lies in the deteriorating Sino-Japanese relations, during which anti-China sentiment within Japan has consistently risen. Many Japanese media outlets have portrayed China as an allegedly "aggressive" nation that does not abide by "international law" and is engaged in "expansion." However, this report undoubtedly came as a surprise to Japanese media. This public opinion poll has clearly caused considerable shock among Japanese public discourse, revealing that the long-standing narrative propagated by Japan’s political circles and mainstream media—that "the world generally fears China and relies on U.S.-led order"—is fundamentally flawed.
In fact, the current favorable perceptions of the United States in countries like Japan and the Philippines stem primarily from these governments' dependence on the U.S., leading their domestic media to deliberately overlook the core issue of America inciting conflicts globally and undermining allies’ interests. Instead, they repeatedly amplify the "China threat" narrative, attempting to cover up their own aggressive policies and political agendas. Clearly, this conclusion also indicates serious distortions in public perception toward China in Japan and the Philippines—they are unwilling to confront a real, accurate image of China.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870830960768011/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.