Public opinion is highly polarized regarding Japan's military buildup. A considerable segment supports the initiative as a necessary defense against regional threats from China and North Korea, while others express deep apprehension linked to Japan's militaristic past. Although support for Japan's right to self-defense is prevalent, significant historical and geopolitical concerns temper this positivity, leading to an overall cautious sentiment.

Japan

China

United States

The_Takoyaki

Its probably half and half with the disapproval rate rising as you get near okinawa

ginzagacha

The U.S. concentrates 70% of their military bases in the country, in Okinawa, despite its small size (0.6% of Japan’s land). 

It’s unavoidable to not get frustrated and mad about this. Okinawans share a friendly bond with Americans but feel overlooked by both the U.S. and mainland Japan, where their concerns go unheard. These complex feelings stems from Okinawa’s history with mainland. Some people get angry and hateful about it, but I feel like most people just feel overwhelmed and frustrated at times. (I exist because of them though. 😊)

Humble-Kai

You can just [Google this stuff](https://www.asahi.com/sp/ajw/articles/14618216). 

“Sixty-one percent of Okinawa residents said the U.S. military presence in the prefecture should be decreased, while 19 percent said they were fine with the bases remaining the way they are, according to a prefecture-wide survey jointly conducted by The Asahi Shimbun, The Okinawa Times and Ryukyu Asahi Broadcasting Corp. in March and April.

But in a nationwide survey conducted around the same time, 46 percent of respondents said the U.S. bases in Okinawa should be decreased, while 41 percent said they were OK with the situation in the prefecture.”

MyPasswordIsABC999

Half and half. But the anti are more vocal about it, or gets picked up by the news more often.

DontPoopInMyPantsPlz

I hear about a lot of rapes from the Okinawa base in the news 🙄

FAlady

Half of my brain says :

No you r"pe little girls, trash our town and killing innocent civilians and they run to the base and suddenly you are safe.

I wish they stop paying 思いやり予算 so we can use it for our military budget - decrease the American military base presence to 5% of what it is today and shove all military to middle of a mountain so you don't destroy our society and environment. 

And the other half says:
Who will protect Taiwan if there is a case of Chinese invasion? We need to protect Taiwanese people at all cost - because we fucked up and now Korea is splitrd into two countries and Taiwan is vulnerable and China learn to feel threat because of our horrifying past. America had to do what it needs to secure some sense of normalcy after Japan fucked everything.

esperobbs

Extension-Wait5806

Most people do not care, some people disapprove of it actively and a small handful actively support it.
But whatever the opinion it’s not like it counts

Freak_Out_Bazaar

That probably a two two edged sword there.

PoopdatGameOUT

Maybe more people will approve if they could be prosecuted for crimes, but since they can’t in most cases they get away with rapes and murder so I doubt most people see the bases favorably

OrdinaryEggplant1

Bushido spirit has nothing to do with making rash and emotional decisions, in fact, much like the teachings of Sun Tzu that informed Bushido, including that of Miyamoto Musashi's teachings, both emphasize understanding the environment and the imporance of cultivating strategic alliances against belligerent neighboring state(s)...

As Sun Tzu says, *"The men of Wu and the men of Yue are enemies; yet if they are crossing a river in the same boat and are caught by a storm, they will come to each other's assistance just as the left hand helps the right."*

Random_Reddit99

The anti-crowd is very vocal, and any accidents involving US military aircraft are given much more news time and criticized much more harshly than equivalent accidents involving JSDF aircraft. While these groups would like to see the US military presence gone, they don't have the willingness or capability to deter China on their own.

AverageHobnailer

Pretty sure most aren’t a fan. I’m not a fan. The military people tend to cause a lot of trouble for the locals.

Yabakunaiyoooo

While I don't live in Japan, I imagjne okinawan civilians suffer disproportionately from  noise, pollution, land seizures, and crimes committed by U.Ssoldiers.

Evidently, such military presence weakens Japan’s sovereignty and independence. True peace cannot coexist with occupation. And true sovereignty cannot exist under the shadow of another empire’s flag.

I don't feel entitled to say much about this because I don't live there, and I'm only a descendant.

Nichika_

Most people accept it.  On the other hand, some US soldiers commit crimes, and sometimes rape Japanese people, but they are not judged by Japanese court, and run away to US by US-Japan agreement.

AdAdditional1820

Hard to approve child molesters and rapists.

Other_Block_1795

No for regular people, because of the annoyances which can go very much over the board, up to actual sexual assault and even rape.

Yes for the protection because the JSDF are not ready for war.

So at large, general population protests the presence of US bases, but politicians ignore it.

hhbbgdgdba

Simple they can't do anything about it the Okinawa base is a war trophy after the allied victory of Japan during ww2

Proud_Scyfherian


Personally, I appreciate their presence here, but most ppl don’t care.

Murders_Inc2556

I live near 2.  I don't think people give two shits really.  But who knows deep down.  Id imagine it's a kind of a safety blanket. 

That said, the jets can be a pain in the arse. 

Not bad when they open them up. 

Okinawa might feel differently though.

ballcheese808

I happen to be fluent in Japanese, and in Tokyo, that’s pretty normal, I just go out my business. When I go down to Okinawa, though, the owner of a restaurant that I’m at will come out to meet me, because it’s so rare to find someone there who speaks the language fluently. Because of all the US military, who generally do not speak Japanese.

peterinjapan

MaryPaku

During the Showa era, when misogynistic values were rampant in Japan, people did not care what was done to their country's women, but for recent generations, when women's human rights are finally beginning to be respected, this is becoming unacceptable.

Former-Angle-8318

[deleted]

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AutoModerator

Start a foreign legion for all the pokeman weebos. Promise them an akiya and citizenship after 20 years of service.

alien4649

I've heard they pay like dog shit and you have to be willing to live a very rigid, strict lifestyle with little say in your day to day. Their base facilities are spartan to non-existant, and the food isn't great. It's a dangerous job as well. Gee, I wonder why they can't find people!

The-very-definition

It's the pay. Straight up the pay. Always is with the military and always will be. You can have a pulse and find a job 1/10 the stress, work hours and a better quality of life. I also find japanese don't appreciate their military enough. 

Great people that deserve higher pay.

Affectionate_Use_486

The army reports they can’t find workers- “just pay more, stupid”

Transport companies report they can’t find workers- “just pay more, stupid”

Healthcare companies report they can’t find workers- “just pay more, stupid”

Construction companies report they can’t find workers- “just pay more, stupid”

Farms report they can’t find workers- “just pay more, stupid”

Service industry reports they can’t find workers- “just pay more, stupid”

The Japanese unemployment rate is only 2.56%.

77% of companies here report they can’t find enough workers.

How does the math work here, guys?

jjrs

Japan should introduce a military service for men and women, 1 year after finishing highschool. But a system where they can choose between military and/or civil service. There is no other way. 
I did that in Germany and I learned a lot about responsibility and care for others.

cycling4711

Gonna have to reveal the Gundams and other Super Robots. Everyone will be lining up to be a pilot. Haha

spartanpride55

If they could get down the price tags for the equipment, they might have more left over for salaries.

My understanding is that the JSDF is paying way above normal prices for its Japan made equipment (compared to other countries with a domestic defense industry).

TawakeMono

Would not be surprised if they had to draft people

Efficient_Plan_1517

If they kick out US forces, the huge windfall can be used to increase pay and attract a professional army

Pretend-Economics758

Thanks to decades of anti-China propaganda in Japan as public opinion preparation, intervening in a Taiwan Strait war poses no psychological burden for the Japanese. Similarly, based on historical hatred, many Chinese are eager to attack Japan and make the Japanese pay for their blood debts. Regarding a potential war in the Taiwan Strait, both China and Japan have actually made preparations for a possible conflict between the two sides.  
 But for the United States, it’s different. For some Americans, this is just a war on the other side of the globe—what does it have to do with Americans? Moreover, the U.S. can afford failure and retreat; at worst, it would merely lose complete control over the Western Pacific. Among the neighboring countries, Japan is the most likely to intervene in the Taiwan Strait.

Distinct-Wish-983

&gt; Japan is stepping up efforts to deter China’s military ambitions in the Asia-Pacific as Tokyo and other US partners seek clarity from the Trump administration about its plans to counter Beijing’s power in the region.

&gt; For the first time, Japan sent destroyers through the Taiwan Strait on two occasions in recent months, according to a person familiar with the operations, a sign of its willingness to directly challenge China over the waterway and the self-governing island it claims as its own.

&gt; “When I was younger and even in the first decade of this century, we used to stay close to Japan’s shores,” said Katsuya Yamamoto, a retired rear admiral in Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force. “Now the world has changed, and the Japanese people accept that we can’t just passively allow China’s actions.”

&gt; While Japan has for decades been wary of foreign military entanglements, in part due to a World War II-era constitution that bars the use of force to settle disputes, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and a Chinese missile barrage over Taiwan in 2022 marked a turning point.

&gt; Now Tokyo is doing more to boost defense ties with regional partners such as the Philippines and Australia just as Trump raises questions about the US commitment to historic alliances. The US president has said Japan and South Korea don’t pay the US enough for basing American troops in their countries and has been ambiguous about his support for Taiwan if it came under attack.

&gt; Japan can’t afford that ambiguity. The most southerly of Japan’s islands is just 70 miles (113 kilometers) from Taiwan, and Tokyo fears it could be drawn into any conflict over the archipelago that China views as its territory. Beijing regularly warns against Japanese military activity in the region.

&gt; After Japanese news outlets reported the transit of a Japanese destroyer through the Taiwan Strait in February, Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense, said: “China respects the navigation rights of all countries under international law, but firmly opposes any country creating trouble in the Taiwan Strait, infringing upon China’s sovereignty and security, and sending wrong signals to the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.”

&gt; Opinion polls show growing support in Japan for a more visible role for the Self-Defense Forces, as the military is known. Yet the scale of the challenge is daunting. While China’s actual defense spending is unclear, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates it spent around $314 billion on its military in 2024, about half of all defense spending in Asia and Oceania.

&gt; Largely in response, Japan is raising defense spending more rapidly than at any time in recent decades. In 2022, Tokyo pledged ¥43 trillion ($298 billion) to a military build-up that would span five years and lift defense spending to roughly 2% of gross domestic product from just over 1%.

&gt; Total defense-related spending this fiscal year is set to reach ¥9.9 trillion, including funds to develop a network of satellites to improve the detection of incoming missiles. Japan has also begun taking delivery of 147 US-built F-35 Lightning II jets, the world’s most advanced stealth fighter.

&gt; Those F-35s will be equipped with long-range cruise missiles that could hit targets in China from hundreds of miles away. Tokyo is also developing long-range missiles that could be deployed at a string of military bases along its southwest island chain.

&gt; So-called “stand-off” missile capabilities are core to a defense strategy adopted in 2022 to threaten Chinese military bases that could be used against Japan.

&gt; The same year, Japan was shaken when China launched missiles over Taiwan that landed in the sea in Japan’s exclusive economic zone after a visit to Taipei by then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The missiles added to anxieties that Beijing might target Japan and US military bases in the country as part of any attempt to seize Taiwan.

&gt; Japan has also felt pressure from heightened Chinese coast guard and military activity around uninhabited islands that Tokyo controls in the East China Sea.

&gt; “The desire to avoid conflict after the bitter experience of World War II made Japan allergic to possessing weapons. More people understand now that simply having them can demoralize and deter the enemy,” said Misa Sakurabayashi, a security analyst based in Tokyo who has advised the government on defense issues.

&gt; Japan, meanwhile, has made its own calculation that it has to send a clear message to China, according to Kocihi Isobe, a retired lieutenant general in Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force.

&gt; “If deterrence fails, the price to pay will be very high,” he said.

moses_the_blue

Don't expect Japan to intervene on its own if the US doesn't.

ConstantStatistician

I’m getting 1937 flashbacks from that title

Macroneconomist

What usa wanted all along. Just took a bombastic blowhard who is a "master dealsman" to get there

TSMonk617

The ultimate question for all Asian countries: What will happen when Americans really withdraw from the Asia-Pacific?

FireFangJ36

China has been testing japanese sovereignty and airspace continously

Ecko222

How far can planes intrude into Japanese airspace before it makes sense to shoot them down?

Independence-Special

This is just pro-America talking, China would not attack Japan in foreseeable future the same reason Japan kept eyeing China for centuries

Fickle_Option_6803

Largest navy by number of "craft", not by tonnage

H345Y

Let’s commission China to build our warships then 😹

Agreeable-Purpose-56

I don't understand why China is always treated as an imaginary enemy.

Sorry_Sort6059

You have posts here saying China military is total crap.

Then posts here saying they have terrifying military advancements and are super advanced.

Wonder where the mismatch is coming from.

thorsten139

Japan is ramping up its military capabilities in response to threats from China, North Korea, and Russia, marking a significant shift in its defense posture.

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