Defense & Security

74% of Americans Believe Japan-U.S. Security Treaty Should Be Maintained, Says Survey by Foreign Ministry

Reuters file photo
The U.S. and Japan flags fly together outside the White House in Washington.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

1:00 JST, April 1, 2025

Seventy-four percent of Americans think the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty should be maintained, according to a public opinion survey conducted in the United States in fiscal 2024, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. The figure was up from 72% in the previous fiscal year.

From November to January, the Foreign Ministry surveyed 1,000 randomly selected adults and 206 people from government, major corporations, academia and other sectors in the United States.

Additionally, 33% of respondents said that Japan’s defense capabilities should be strengthened, up from 29% in the previous survey. Those who said the current level of defense capabilities should be maintained fell from 38% to 34%.

The survey asked experts to pick the country that contributes the most to the U.S. economy, and Japan was ranked first in all three categories — trade, investment and job creation — for the second consecutive year.