CGTN Poll: Japan's real 'survival-threatening situation' is its right-wing forces

An international survey conducted by CGTN has revealed widespread global concern regarding recent political developments in Japan, with overwhelming majorities expressing alarm about the resurgence of militarist tendencies and the Japanese government's rightward policy shift.

According to the poll, released across CGTN's multilingual platforms, participants believe that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's egregious, warmongering remark is not an isolated incident, but rather a manifestation of the long-hidden and gradually resurgent forces of Japanese militarism, which warrant high vigilance.

The term "survival-threatening situation," a stock phrase used by Japan's right-wing forces to justify external aggression, was heavily invoked by Japan's new Prime Minister. The nightmare of Japanese militarism began to cast its shadow over the international public arena. This scene, occuring 80 years after the victory of World War II, is both utterly outrageous and deeply unsettling. 

In recent years, Japan's foreign policy has been accelerating a "rightward shift" – significantly revising its security policies, increasing defense budgets year by year, loosening restrictions on arms exports, seeking to develop offensive weapons, and hinting at a possible deviation of the "three non-nuclear principles." 

According to survey results, 88.5 percent of respondents stated that this sends a dangerous signal of the possible resurgence of militarism; 90 percent  expressed deep concern over the potential danger of Japan repeating its militaristic past; 83 percent criticized the Japanese government for having long deviated from its proclaimed status as a "peace-loving nation;" and 85.9 percent pointed out that under the dominance of right-wing forces, the Japanese government's policies continue to signal a negative shift, the dangers of which should not be underestimated.

In history, Japan's right-wing forces used the so-called "survival-threatening situation" to launch the wars of aggression in China and the Pacific War, creating regional emergencies to achieve their ulterior political motives and expansionist ambitions.

In the survey, 89.2 percent believed that, 80 years after Japan's surrender, the remarks constitute a reckless provocation against the current international order; 91 percent felt that the prime minister's refusal to retract these negative statements reflects the Japanese government's very incomplete reflection on its World War II crimes. Furthermore, 82.7 percent pointed out that Japan's right-wing forces have become a destructive power threatening regional and even global peace and stability, and that both the international community and the Japanese public should remain highly vigilant. According to the survey, 90.9 percent of respondents warned that if Japan resorts to expansion and military force as means to resolve disputes, it will ultimately pay a heavy price.

The survey was published on CGTN's English, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Russian platforms, with a total of 7,147 participants expressing their views within 24 hours.