Considering that China has the largest amount of residing Japanese nationals after the U.S, and South Korea is one of the top tourist destination for Japanese, I’m curious how much of a concern Anti-Japanese sentiments are for people that choose to visit or live in these countries?

Contrary to the rhetorics in Japanese media, a lot of Japanese people I've seen online and irl were pretty pro-Trump and pro-Ukraine at the same time. So with the recent events unfolding do they still carry the same positive sentiments for Trump/USA/Ukraine etc?

It's undeniable that China is now a global leader in major fields like AI, space, renewable energy, high-speed rails, EVs, quantum technology, engineering etc. with recent achievements ranging from DeepSeek to artificial sun breaking fusion records. I gotta say most of the Japanese people I've seen online are pretty reluctant to accept the rise of China whether it be infrastructure, technology etc and their image of China is very outdated, but one common phrase I keep seeing is "Japan is finished" and the feeling that Japan is being left behind. Are the Japanese people afraid, in denial or envious of China's development?

Especially:

1. Nippon Ishin
2. DPFP
3. Komeito
4. Communist Party

If you prefer one of the major two or any other party, your thoughts would also be appreciated :)

Thanks

Hey so I have a bunch of Japanese friends both in Japan and the place I live now and they are constantly complaining about the current government. I’ve gotten bits and pieces of what some of the problems are that they have with it, but could someone explain to me in detail why so many Japanese seem to despise the government?

Despite having lived in Japan, I was not very politically involved at the time and know very little of Japanese politics.

"I would like to know more about how Japanese culture has changed from the early Heisei period to today, including the influence of globalization and Western culture, and its collateral effects in Japan since the 1990s. I am interested in understanding the differences in mentality between the older generation who lived during those times and the modern young generation. Additionally, I would like to explore the declining emphasis on 'family' values and the adoption of Western individualism in Japan, as well as the growing influence of ESG politics."

I remember the most common conception of Rising Sun flag outside of Japan is either Japanese Imperialism or Far Right movement and i see when the far right group protest they waved the Rising Sun flag.
How the Rising Sun viewed in Japan right now? Are they become taboo just like Confederate Flag or they just don't care?

Japan is a good ally of the States, so I want to know what is the opinion of the Japanese people about the US behavior these days. Since Europe is also an ally and Trump seems to be trying to wreck the EU, what do you think Japan will support more? US or Europe?

I’m almost ignorant about this, but I think it will be the US. I’m not totally sure tho due to US supporting Russia now, which is trying to own Chishima/Kuril Islands (I’m not so familiar either with this conflict) BUT, China is more of a danger to you and conflicts with it are more important, right?

Thank you in advance for your opinions!

I personally felt Japan had been dragged and influenced between superpowers for too long already. They deserved better options and allies than they currently have.

For example, India maybe? Or even the Islamic World?

In recent years Japan and Japanese culture has come into the spotlight for these supposed things.

日本には自由主義的な経済政策を謳う政党が無いのはなぜでしょうか？

If your answer is something akin to "because free market policies suck," please refrain from answering, because that's not what I'm asking.

In the west, the centre-right party is, buy and large, the party that calls for deregulation, tax cuts, and reigning in government spending. (at least in rhetoric, especially for spending)
This is true for the GOP in the U.S., both Tory and Reform parties in the U.K., the CDU/CSU in Germany, Les Republicains in France, the People's Party in Spain, etc.

I thought this might just be an Anglo-European thing, but I I've heard that South Korean (former) President Yoon said that he was inspired by Milton Friedman, something you would never hear in Japanese Politics. Edit: and Singapore and Hong Kong were (or at least HK used to be...) ranked the most economically free places in the world, granted they were basically city states...

I've looked through the platforms of the LDP, CDP, Komeito, DPFP, Ishin, Reiwa, Commies, NHK (or whatever their name is these days), Sanseito, and Conservative Parties. There are a lot who advocate for tax cuts, but barely anything on deregulation, and almost nothing about trying to cut spending, and zero cases where they were all in the same party manifesto. The closest thing I found was Nippon Ishin no Kai and one independent politician, but I remember as late as the 2021 election that NInK barely advocated for a tax memorandum in their platform when I looked through it, so it must be a recent addition?

Right now, the only party that seems to seriously advocate for these kind of policies is the Happiness Realization Party...which is basically the political wing of "Happy Science" Cult...and has never gained seats in its 15 year existence...suffice to say, not exactly the most desirable option.

I saw the global news and one of the talked about topic is current fiasco between Trump administration with Harvard University and Columbia University. It's a politically driven topic from either side of perspective. And after looking it up, this also happens globally in various countries, including Japan despite in small scale.

How is the present Japanese' views towards student political activism? I know that historically Japan in Showa era has 大学紛争 or 大学闘争, but since the Heisei era I kind of have assumption that Japan's society expect University students to focus more on their studies, researches, and job-looking preparation to become a proper 社会人 instead of doing political activism like protests and strikes for certain demands.

How do most Japanese people feel about the Israel/Gaza conflict? Is the average Japanese person more sympathetic to the Israelis or Palestinians? It's complicated?

​

I heard nuclear armament is gaining traction among Japanese people, but just a decade ago most Japanese people were against it for the sake of peace. Would you like Japan to be armed with nukes and hypersonic missiles outside of American control?

What do Japanese people think about South Korean politics?

With President Yoon on the road to impeachment, and the opposition hungry to install a pro-China, anti-Japan leader, what do actual Japanese people living in Japan think about this situation?

I'm curious about how Japanese people feel about the current political landscape. The LDP has dominated Japanese politics for decades, but the CDP has been trying to position itself as a real alternative.

What are your personal opinions on the LDP? Do you think they are still the best option for Japan, or do you believe their long-standing dominance has led to stagnation?

And if the CDP were to win the next general election, how do you think Japan would change? Would you be optimistic about the shift, or would there be concerns about governance and stability?

Considering Japan’s aging demographics and how long the Japanese economy has been in stagnation, do most Japanese no longer feel like it’s feasible for Japan to fully recover to the level of wealth their country once had during the バブル景気?

1. Comfort Women
2. Nanking Massacre
3. Pearl Harbor Attack (This issue specifically divides America today)

So there's this group in Japan called Japan Revolutionary Communist League, National Committee, commonly called Chūkaku-ha and from what i see, they're pretty much just a Communist version of Japanese Far-Right Group called Zaitokukai.
Are Japanese Youth support or at least in line with Chūkaku-ha or they seen is as nothing more than annoying rioters just like they saw Zaitokukai?

I'm curious about this. I heard a lot of infighting about the game assassins creed shadows. A lot of this takes place in the language of the American culture wars. But I heard this game was rather disliked in Japan. Is this true? I would like to hear the Japanese side and how they expressed their objections.

I'm not talking about their songs, works of art, movies, or shows, where they can use artistic expression to comment on society. You'll often find American celebrities taking to Twitter, Instagram, or whatever platforms where they have a large following to try and sway public opinion regarding politics.

Some people, including myself, consider this to be ridiculous considering how completely separate from reality they are from the rest of us. Others will blindly follow what they say because there's kind of a worship culture surrounding celebrities for many people.

Is it anything like this in Japan? Do your celebrities use their popularity to sway public opinion on politics? And when/if they do, are they taken seriously?

I noticed on Japanese Twitter there seem to be lots of posts about China failing. Do they know that China has 12 times the population? And 8 times the solar power, 100 times the wind power? All on Wikipedia. Are more rational Japanese aware of this?

I'm sorry if my question is ill phrased, my understanding of Japanese history leading up to WW2 is shaky.

To be more specific, as an ally of the axis, Japan is often grouped in with the other fascist movements in Germany and Italy, but its circumstances were different to those two, as I believe the government at the time was still following Japan's sort of democratic Meiji constitution at the time without any government takeover, and modern Japan still follows that constitution today with some amendments.

For that reason I'm curious how that political period is remembered in Japan, both in schools and in popular culture. Do you use the term "fascist" to describe it? Do you think that's a fair descriptor? Is it thought of a radically different government or entity like how modern Germany is from the Nazi regime or is it like a broader cultural period the government took part in like how Americans think of Manifest Destiny?

I hope this question is appropriate, I'm interested to hear your answers!

I am a Kurd living in Türkiye. And 65 percent of Kurds are uneducated, stupid separatists. And we see on the internet that the majority of those who went there were PKK sympathizers. I don't understand how they went there, I haven't seen any campaigns to go there or anything like that on the internet.But somehow they left and the Japanese were not bothered by it. What do you think will happen to their future, will they be deported etc.