According to the survey conducted by the International Minister of Foreign Affairs, respondents in five European nations ranked Japan second after the United States as a partner to strengthen ties.
The government released the results of the Opinion Poll on Japan, which was conducted in fiscal 2022 in Europe and the United States.
The survey was conducted online last November, with questions posed to 2,500 people ages 18 to 69 in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Hungary.
Amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, 51% of Europeans chose Japan as a country that Europe should strengthen its partnerships with outside the region today, second only to the United States, which was cited by 53% of those surveyed indicating that Japan's presence in Europe has been growing. China, Australia and Canada followed the two countries.
It was the first time a question was asked about partnerships outside the region.
In the United States, the survey was conducted from December last year to February. The online survey of the general population included 1,001 individuals, while the telephone survey of the Opinion Leaders covered 200 officials in government and business circles among other experts.
Asked about Japan's self-defense ability, 32% of the general population and 49% of the opinion leaders responded that Japan should increase it, up by eight percentage points for the general population and 14 percentage points for the opinion leaders from the previous survey taken in fiscal 2021.
Japan revised key documents last December, including the National Security Strategy, and announced a significant increase in its defense spending. The surveys suggest that those moves were favorably received by people in Japan's ally, the United States.