Majority in Japan Expect Stronger Economic Ties under Trump

Tokyo, March 8 (Jiji Press)--A majority of Japanese expect Japan-U.S. economic relations to strengthen under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, launched in January, according to a Japanese Foreign Ministry survey.

Asked in which area Japan-U.S. relations are expected to strengthen, with multiple answers allowed, 52.1 pct of respondents pointed to “economy, trade and finance,” followed by 49.7 pct who cited “security, counterterrorism, disarmament and non-proliferation.”

The results are believed to have been influenced by Trump’s comments including on tariffs.

Also in the survey, 81.5 pct said they strongly or somewhat agree that the security environment in East Asia is becoming more severe.

With Japan and South Korea marking the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations, 53 pct said that the two countries should promote efforts to address security challenges including North Korea, and 35.7 pct and 34.4 pct called for resolving the issue of Takeshima, the Sea of Japan islets controlled by South Korea, and history-related issues, respectively.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]