40 Pct in Japan Support Takaichi’s Remarks on Taiwan: Jiji Poll

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–Nearly 40 pct of people in Japan support Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remarks on a Taiwan contingency, which angered China, a Jiji Press survey showed Thursday. In the interview survey, 39.5 pct of respondents said that the remarks were appropriate, while 25.4 pct said the opposite. Those who said that they could not choose between the two answers or that they did not know accounted for 35.1 pct. At a parliamentary meeting on Nov. 7, Takaichi said that China’s possible use of force against Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, allowing the country to exercise its right to collective self-defense. The remarks sparked a fierce backlash from China, quickly chilling bilateral relations between the Asian neighbors. In the Jiji survey, support for Takaichi’s remarks among respondents who back her cabinet stood at 53.7 pct, far surpassing the 17.1 pct who considered the remarks inappropriate. Among those who disapprove of the cabinet, only 14.9 pct said that the remarks were appropriate, while 66.9 pct judged them as inappropriate. Regarding Japan’s three nonnuclear principles of not possessing or producing nuclear weapons or letting them be brought into Japan, Takaichi advocates reviewing the third principle. In the survey, 46.6 pct said that the third principle should be maintained, while 28.2 pct backed a review. The remaining 25.2 pct said that they could not take either side or that they did not know. Even among supporters of the Takaichi cabinet, 43.5 pct were against reviewing the third principle, while 33.3 pct called for a review. Among those who disapprove of the cabinet, 60.4 pct were opposed, while 22.1 pct were in favor. The nonnuclear principles have been regarded as national policy since then Prime Minister Eisaku Sato declared them in 1967. The survey covered 2,000 people aged 18 or over across the country over four days through Monday. Valid responses came from 56.6 pct. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]