Poll: Japanese have low opinion of Americans

Kirk Spitzer | USA TODAY

TOKYO — Seventy years after they were mortal enemies, Americans have a high regard for the character of Japanese. But the Japanese view of Americans? Not so much, a survey out Tuesday shows.

Americans overwhelmingly think of Japanese as hardworking, inventive and honest, with few negative personal traits. The Japanese view of Americans is, well — about the opposite, according to the survey by the non-partisan Pew Research Center.

Seven decades after the end of World War II, and a generation removed from the bitter trade wars of the 1980s, Japan and the U.S. have developed a deep sense of mutual trust and respect, but tend to see each other's social traits very differently.

The survey found 68% of Americans say they trust Japan either a great deal or a fair amount, and 75% of Japanese say they feel the same toward the United States.

However, while 94% of Americans view Japanese as hardworking, only 25% of Japanese reciprocate that view. And while only 19% of Americans view Japanese as selfish, 47% of Japanese say Americans are selfish.

Seventy-five percent of Americans view Japanese as honest, compared with only 37% of Japanese who have that view about Americans.

Jennifer Lind, an associate professor of government at Dartmouth College and a 2014 Sasakawa Peace Foundation Fellow in Tokyo, said she was surprised at some of the findings, including that nearly 1 in 4 Japanese don't think of Americans as inventive or hardworking.

"That's pretty shocking given that America leads the world in innovation, and also given data on how many working hours and how few vacations Americans log every year," Lind said, in emailed comments.

The latest figures from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which collects data on developed nations, show that the average employee in Japan worked 1,735 hours in 2013, less than the 1,788 hours put in by an average American.

Bruce Stokes, director of global economic attitudes for Pew Research and principal author of the survey, said some views expressed in the survey may reflect stereotypes, but they are important nonetheless.

"Stereotypes such as honesty or inventiveness or aggression, are emotions — not rational views backed by data. (But) these emotions matter. Such stereotypes help drive broader attitudes about policy," Stokes said.

Overall, 83% of Americans think the U.S.-Japan relationship should remain as close or closer than it is today (the same question was not asked of the Japanese).

The results come just weeks ahead of a scheduled address before a joint session of Congress by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — the first by a Japanese premier in the post-war era — and as negotiations between the two countries continue on a sweeping trans-Pacific trade pact and revision of U.S.-Japan defense guidelines.

The survey found marked differences in how Americans and Japanese view the challenge of an increasingly assertive China, whose economy surpassed Japan's as the world's second-largest in 2010. Beijing has also been making increasingly assertive territorial demands in the region.

About 43% of Americans say it is more important for the U.S. to have strong economic ties with China, while 36% of Americans favor strong economic ties with Japan. In Japan, 78% say it is more important to have strong economic connections with the U.S., while only 10% cite China.

On their military role, 47% of Americans say Japan should be more active in the Asia-Pacific region, while only 23% of Japanese agree.

Brad Glosserman, executive director of the Pacific Forum CSIS, in Honolulu, said the survey shows a need to improve public awareness on both sides of the Pacific.

"The key is more creative thinking. One great way to do that is to get young people together and have them explore ways to make the partnership more real to folks in both countries," he said.