According to the World Values Survey of people from 77 countries around the world, 76.8% of Japanese people answered that they would not fight for their country in the event of war. Only 13.2% said they would fight.
On the same question, 76.0% of Filipinos said they would fight, while 24.0% said they would not.
After being defeated and completely disarmed by the U.S. in 1945, Japan has spent the past 77 years under the name of a peaceful nation. During this time, there have been wars in many parts of the world.
While the world is currently focused on the war between Russia and Ukraine, there were also major wars in Asia after World War II, such as the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
Most Japanese, myself included, have not experienced war. At the same time, they probably do not believe that they will be involved in a war.
Because they are such Japanese, I suspect that when asked if they would fight for their country, the question does not ring a bell.
How would I respond? I would not answer that I would not fight. The honest answer is that I don't know.
That does not mean that I am not patriotic. I am proud to be Japanese.
However, I cannot imagine Japan becoming a battlefield. It is unavoidable that I am called a peace-loving person.
If we are actually attacked by a foreign country and war breaks out, we will probably join the fight, whether or not we wait for weapons.
Many Japanese people have an image of "peace-loving Japanese. Not only the Japanese but also people from many other countries may feel the same way.
However, Chinese military personnel have a different image of the Japanese. They fear that the Japanese are a frightening people who will come at them with deadly force if push comes to shove.
Since the war between Ukraine and Russia began, I hear that Germans and other Europeans are increasingly answering that they are fighting for their country.
Only 12.8% of Japanese respondents said they would fight, but I suspect that most would say they would fight in such a situation.
In order to avoid invasion by other countries and a situation of war, it is of utmost importance to strengthen Japan's national power, including its defense capability.
