Taipei [Taiwan], October 13 : A recent survey conducted in Japan has revealed strong support for Taiwan's independence, with 71 per cent of respondents considering 'Taiwan as an independent country,' Taiwan News reported.
The same proportion favours establishing formal diplomatic ties between Japan and Taiwan.
Indo-Pacific Strategic Think-tank (IPST) in partnership with Sankei Shimbun conducted the survey and polled over 3,000 Japanese adults across eight major cities on September 21. Respondents answered 14 questions about their views on Taiwan, as per Taiwan News.
The survey's findings provide significant insight into Japanese public opinion on Taiwan.
Notably, the results come as the first major publication from the newly established IPST, founded by journalist Yaita Akio. The think tank aims to publish a monthly "Taiwan Situation Report" to shed light on key issues related to Taiwan.
According to Taiwan News, on the issue of Taiwan's sovereignty, only 8 per cent of respondents answered that they believe 'Taiwan is a part of China'. Another 20 per cent of respondents said they were uncertain about Taiwan's status as a nation.
One question asked by the survey was regarding the possibility of military conflict in the Taiwan Strait, to which 50 per cent of respondents said that war is unlikely to occur. Another 23 per cent said they thought conflict could occur, while 26 per cent expressed a neutral view.
When asked about Japan's possible support for Taiwan in a military conflict, 46 per cent of respondents advocated supporting Taiwan as "permitted by the law." Another 41 per cent supported imposing economic sanctions on China in the event of a conflict, and 12 per cent said that Japan should not intervene at all.
As for the prospect of the United States coming to aid Taiwan in the event of military conflict, 52 per cent said that the US is likely to provide only material support, but will not get directly involved. In contrast, 39 per cent expressed confidence the US would send troops to defend Taiwan, while the remaining 8 per cent said the US would not help Taiwan at all.
One survey question asked, "Which country do you feel Japan is Japan closest to in Asia?" A majority of 55 per cent of respondents replied with Taiwan, a much higher percentage than the second highest response of South Korea at almost 15 per cent.
In contrast, only 3.6 per cent of respondents said China was closest to Japan, ranking below Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore. A separate question on the survey asked "What do you most like about Taiwan?" to which most respondents (33 per cent) said that Taiwan gives them a sense of "closeness to Japan."
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