Record 45 pct in Japan Want SDF Enhancement: Survey

Tokyo, Jan. 9 (Jiji Press)–A record 45.2 pct of people in Japan find it necessary to beef up the country’s Self-Defense Forces, a government survey showed Friday. The share of respondents in favor of bigger and more capable SDF went up 3.7 percentage points from the previous survey. Meanwhile, those preferring the status quo accounted for 49.8 pct, down 3.2 points, and those calling for reduction made up 2.2 pct, down 1.4 points. The results, albeit on a preliminary basis, reflect increasing military and economic pressure from China and a spate of regional conflicts around the globe, experts observe. The survey also found that the Japan-U.S. security treaty and Japan’s new security legislation partially allowing the country to exercise the right to collective self-defense both won unprecedented public support, with 92.0 pct and 73.4 pct recognizing contribution of the pact and the legal framework to keeping Japan peace and safe, respectively. On the overseas transfer of SDF equipment, the total share of supporters came to 68.3 pct, far exceeding the opponents’ 29.7 pct. The government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is going to drastically ease the current restrictions on the country’s exports of defense equipment. Asked what role they expect the SDF to play, with multiple answers allowed, 88.3 pct pointed to disaster relief operations. This was followed by protecting people in the event of an attack on Japan, selected by 79.4 pct, ensuring national security such as responding to air and sea attacks as well as attacks on islands, by 78.1 pct, and responding to ballistic missile attacks, by 52.3 pct. The mail survey covered 3,000 people aged 18 or over across the country from Nov. 6 to Dec. 14 last year. Valid responses had been received from 51.1 pct as of Dec. 5, when the preliminary results were compiled. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]