Japanese Attitudes Toward China and the United States: A Sociological Analysis

Abstract

As China and the United States have a great impact on Japan, Japanese attitudes toward China and the United States have been the focus of debate. This study uses nationally representative longitudinal data from Japan to investigate how the economic and political threats are relevant to Japanese attitudes toward China and the United States. Empirical analyses find that: first, socioeconomic status (SES) is significantly associated with individuals’ attitudes toward the United States but not China. Second, individuals’ perceptions of Japan’s economic situation influence their attitudes toward China and the United States; that is, an optimistic assessment of Japan’s economy increases the Japanese people’s positive attitudes toward both China and the United States. Finally, the political threats have contrasting effects on Japanese attitudes toward China and the United States. Concerns over political threats increase Japan’s favorable attitudes toward the United States while deteriorating the positive attitudes toward China.

Notes

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the editor and anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and suggestions. The data for this secondary analysis, Japanese Life Course Panel Surveys, was provided by the Social Science Japan Data Archive, Center for Social Research and Data Archives, Institute of Social Science, and The University of Tokyo.

Notes

1 Samples were selected with a stratified sampling method (Miwa 2008). First, entire Japanese populations ages 20 to 40 were divided into thirty-seven groups according to area-blocks and city size. Then, in each area-based group, populations were further divided into eight groups by age and gender. Sample size in each stratum was determined proportional to the population. Using these criteria, nationally representative youth and middle-aged respondents were sampled according to Japan’s electoral and resident registries. In the first wave, respondents were first sent a letter with information on the survey and questions about their intention to participate in the first and follow-up surveys. To increase the retention rate, only respondents who agreed to participate in the first and follow-up surveys were invited to participate (Ishida 2013). The JLPS questionnaires were distributed by mail and picked up by a professional survey company in Japan.

Because the surveys of young people and the middle-aged ask the same questions in each wave, and the timing of the survey was also the same. we combine the two datasets. The response rate in the first wave was 34.5 percent for young people and 40.4 percent for the middle-aged. In the seventh wave, the response rate was 79 percent for young people and 89 percent for the middle-aged based on the first wave completed survey. Sample attrition can bias longitudinal survey data; however, in the JLPS, there are no large differences in social backgrounds between those who drop out of the sample and those who remain. Therefore, we do not use adjustment weight in our analysis.

JLPS add new samples in 2011 in order to deal with sample attrition as respondents “aged out” of the age ranges for the survey, died, or were otherwise lost. Because the survey method for the new sample, which is the mail survey, slightly differs from original sample, we excluded the new samples from the analysis. If we included the new samples in the analysis, our main results did not change.

2 According to Ishida et al. (2015), whether or not one has hope for Japanese society depends on political conditions as well as on positive views about economically prosperous conditions. Therefore, we cannot interpret the effects of this variable solely in terms of Japan’s economic prospects; we should interpret the variable in terms of generally positive views about Japan’s future.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) KAKENHI Grant Number JP17H01005 (PI, Naoto Higuchi).

Notes on contributors

Shun Gong

Shun Gong ([email protected]) is an assistant professor at the Institute of Sociology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. His research interests include immigration and xenophobic attitude issues. Additional research interests include family and education. Part of his work has been published in the International Migration Journal.

Kikuko Nagayoshi

Kikuko Nagayoshi ([email protected]) is an associate professor at Tohoku University. Her research interests include public opinions about immigrants, immigration policies, and welfare policies. She recently published an article (coauthored with Hilary Holbrow) in the International Migration Review.