世論 What Japan Thinks

Last December, MyVoice carried out a survey about brushing teeth. In Japan, dentist skill, and dental hygiene, or lack thereof, is often a subject of ridicule by the foreign contingent, but I seem to have been lucky and found a very good dentist. Actually, if it hadn’t been for my Japanese dentist and all the work he did (yes, I have British teeth) I don’t think I’d have had the confidence to meet my wife.

They sought the opinion 16,013 people via a web-based survey from the internet community “MyVoice”, of whom 42% were male, and found, amongst other things, that not many people at all attend regular check-ups.

Q1: Each day, how many times do you normally brush your teeth?

Don’t usually do so	1%
Once	25%
Twice	53%
Thrice	19%
Four or more times	2%

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[ part 1 | part 2 | part 3 ]

Continuing on from part two, the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan (that seems to be the official title anyway), conducted a wide-ranging survey regarding the people of Japan’s everyday life. This is rather a large survey, so it will be published in three parts on subsequent days. 6,924 people participated in the poll, conducted by face-to-face interviews in various areas throughout Japan. In this section, many Japanese say they want to live away from their children in their old age, and work is defined by salary.

Q13: In your opinion, normally with whom and how is the best way to live in old age?

Live with son (and wife if applicable)	15.1%
Live near son (and wife if applicable)	8.7%
Live with daughter (and husband if applicable)	5.7%
Live near daughter (and husband if applicable)	7.2%
Either son or daughter is best	10.6%
Live separate from children	38.0%
Other	1.8%
Don’t know	12.8%

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[ part 1 | part 2 | part 3 ]

Continuing on from part one, the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan (that seems to be the official title anyway), conducted a wide-ranging survey regarding the people of Japan’s everyday life. This is rather a large survey, so it will be published in three parts on subsequent days. 6,924 people participated in the poll, conducted by face-to-face interviews in various areas throughout Japan. In this section, the Japanese reveal themselves to be rather materialistic, and even though the first part saw people most worried about their old age, living for today takes priority.

Q7: When you have had free time recently, what sort of activities have you performed? (Multiple answer)

Listening to radio or watching television	55.2%
Enjoying hobbies	40.8%
Leisurely resting	37.6%
Reading newspapers and magazines, etc	34.1%
Spend time with friends	30.0%
Enjoying things as a family group	29.9%
Going shopping	26.6%
Sports and other physical activities	19.0%
Going on trips	18.6%
Using computer or mobile phone to find out information, read mail, etc	16.3%
Absorbing knowledge	7.0%
Community or voluntary work	6.3%
Other	2.0%
Don’t know	0.7%

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[ part 1 | part 2 | part 3 ]

The Cabinet Office, Government of Japan (that seems to be the official title anyway), conducted a wide-ranging survey regarding the people of Japan’s everyday life. This is rather a large survey, so it will be published in three parts on subsequent days. 6,924 people participated in the poll, conducted by face-to-face interviews in various areas throughout Japan. Most people are basically happy to some degree, but the shadow of ill-health and old age hangs over many people.

Q1: Compared with this time last year, how is your home life?

Improving	4.0%
About the same	68.9%
Getting worse	26.1%
Don’t know	1.1%

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My Voice conducted a web-based survey of their registered users regarding home security issues. There seems to be a lot of worry about burglary in particular.

The survey was conducted at the start of October, with 16,346 respondents. 41% were male, and 4% teenagers, 23% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 23% in their forties, and 11% fifty and over.

Q1: How uneasy do you feel about public order and crime around the area where you live? (Sample size=16,346)

I feel uneasy	17.0%
I feel a little uneasy	51.4%
I don’t really feel uneasy	27.4%
I don’t feel uneasy at all	4.1%

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Getting the latest (allegedly) healthy food introduced on shows like Aru-Aru Daijiten can result in the product being sold out not just the day after, but for weeks on end. The biggest effect I remember was when they introduced CoQ10, resulting in Nature Made being out of stock and on back order for months, and since the program (about 18 months ago, I think) I have never again seen Nature Made’s CoQ10 in stores in Japan, although apparently they do still make it. This survey on health foods seems more geared towards foodstuffs than supplements, though.

Nippon Research Center Ltd asked 2,200 people of both sexes, of whom 1,165 cooperated with the survey, aged between 15 and 79 from all around the country.
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Outside two of the railways stations in Osaka yesterday they were handing out census forms to find out about rail use in the city. There is an online option for submissions, but the web site seems to be broken! Note that the URL uses the English path /railcensus/ rather than Japanese /tetsudochousa/ or the like. I’ll be keen to see the results of this survey!

The questions are as follows:

Q1: What is the purpose of your first railway journey today?

• Commute to work
• Commute to school
• Work-related travel
• Private
• Returning home

Q2: When did you set out on this trip?

Q2A: What means of transport were used to get to the first railway station?

Q2B: When did you arrive at the first railway station on your trip?

Q3: For each train taken, please record the railway line name, the start and end station, the class of train (local, express, reserved seat or bullet train), whether you used a commutation pass, and if it was crowded or over-crowded.

Q4: When did you arrive at the final railway station on your trip?

Q4A: What means of transport were used to get to your ultimate destination?

Q5: For your second railway journey of the day, please record the similar details to those above.

Q6: If your second trip of the day did not take you home, and you didn’t return home by some other means, please record the start and end times and start and end station of your trip home.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is still doing well in the polls, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun’s survey. Whether or not any of this popularity rubs off on Bush when they meet in Kyoto tonight, and whether or not the two of them will address the US bases in Okinawa (around 72% oppose the relocation issue according to another recent poll) remains to be seen.

On the 12th and 13th of this month, the Yomiuri carried out a survey across the whole country (of how many people is not noted), and found that support for the cabinet was running at 61.0%, 1.6% percentage points up from the last survey on the 15th and 16th of last month. Those who did not support the cabinet was at 30.4%, down 2.0% points from last time.

As for the priority issues he should address, top was pensions and other social security system reforms at 63%, the third time in a row that this was top. Next was economic measures, at 59%, tax system reforms at 31%, child-rearing support and other birth rate decline counter-measures at 29%, and employment measures also at 29%.

One of the structural reforms that Koizumi’s cabinet wants to perform, public employee system reform, was chosen by only 18% of the respondents as a priority issue, 10th of the 17 options presented to the interviewees.

Support for the governing LDP was measured at 41.6%, just 0.4% down from last time, whilst the opposition DPJ was down 1.5% to 11.9%, and those holding no party allegiances was up 2.1% at 38.7%.

NEPRO IT co. ltd. recently performed a survey on the number of mobile phones people owned. The self-selecting prize draw survey was carried out on iMode, EZweb and Vodafone live! public web sites. 4,283 people, 60% female, replied to the survey carried out from the morning of October 6th to late into the night of the same day. 6% were 19 or under, 41% were 20 to 29, 38% were 30 to 39, and 15% 40 or older.

Q1: How many mobile phones are registered in your name? (Sample size=4,283)

One	64%
Two	17%
Three or more	5%
I have a phone but am not responsible for it (Company phone or other in family pays bill?)	12%
I don’t have a phone (How did they access the site then?)	1%
No answer	1%

Q2: Why do you have multiple phones registered in your name? (Sample size=4,283)

I only have one phone!	66%
Family use phones	16%
To keep private and business matters separate	4%
In case I cannot get a signal with the other	2%
I want to use different features in the phones	2%
To separate incoming and outgoing usage	1%
I want to use different designs or shapes	1%
Other reasons	10%

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DIMSDRIVE Research investigated the Japanese love of fads, this time Beaujolais Nouveau, due this coming Thursday the 17th. I think the only time I’ve ever drunk the stuff (I’m mildly allergic to something in red wine that puts me under the table after less than a glassful, and I’m not keen on the taste either) was in my favourite Soba Noodles shop that was serving free thimblefuls of last year’s left overs as an appetiser one day. However, it seems over half the Japanese interviewed want to drink Beaujolais Nouveau.

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