Article by:
Ma. Cristina Arayata
MANILA – A survey of a private polling and research firm, OCTA Research, released on Monday showed that eight in 10 adult Filipinos trust Japan.
The survey, commissioned by the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines and conducted from December 3 to 11, 2025, among 1,200 respondents aged 18 and above, asked the question: "How much does the Philippines trust Japan?"
A total of 79 percent of the respondents answered they “strongly trust/somewhat trust” Japan, while at least 17 percent responded "can't say if I trust or not”, and 4 percent have shown distrust.
This result suggests that positive perceptions of Japan are deeply embedded in Philippine public opinion.
Filipinos also trust the Japanese people, with 74 percent expressing trust and 6 percent expressing distrust. About 20 percent answered that they are undecided.
This indicates that goodwill toward Japan extends to interpersonal perceptions of Japanese citizens, according to OCTA Research.
Most or 70 percent of the respondents said they view the relationship between the Philippines and Japan as "very good" while 24 percent view it as neither good nor poor.
These favorable perceptions of Japan were observed across Metro Manila, Balance (of) Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao, as well as across socioeconomic classes.
"Cultural exchanges, tourism, educational cooperation, and the growing Filipino community in Japan contribute to familiarity and mutual goodwill between the two societies," OCTA Research said.
It added that the "Philippine-Japan relations may therefore be at one of their strongest points in the history of the partnership.” (PNA)
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