ABSTRACT
A survey of 28,000 people across twenty-seven countries found that Japan was seen as one of the most positively influential countries. Respondents were asked if twelve countries of high international importance had positive or negative influence in the world. The research concluded that people around the world tend to look negatively on countries that used or pursued the use of military power. However, countries with high soft power-projecting capabilities were perceived well.1 Perceptions of Japan as a peace country were based predominantly on its stance in international relations.2 These perceptions fall in line with Japan’s own, desired international role. In a survey conducted by the Cabinet Office of Japan, the second most popular answer among the Japanese respondents was that they would like their country to contribute to maintaining world peace and cooperating toward peaceful resolutions of regional conflicts, disarmament, and non-proliferation.3
