3-4 The Mutual Images of Each Other (Q. 27, 28)

There is a significant difference between how Japan and the US locate each other in the global scene and the mutual degree of attachment. The amount by which the respective mass media cover their counterpart is a good indicator. We can easily assume why perceptual gaps exist between the two; after all the US is the most important ally for Japan, while Japan is considered to be "one of them" by the US. Some people apparently recognize this reality, considering the US as "just one of our allies" from the Japanese side, and 36% vice versa.

	Japan	US
America's Best Partner	136	15
A Close Friend	239	140
Just One of America's Allies	59	152
A Competitor or Rival	61	90
A Selfish or Uncooperative Country	46	20

Interestingly, the primary reason why many Japanese college students regard the US as a rival or "selfish and uncooperative" country might be due to the fact that these are mainly engineering majors. Now that the US assumes an unprecedented role in the "hi-tech" industries, Japanese engineers feel subdued in such areas as automobile industry, which was one of the symbols of Japanese technology.
　　This also reflects upon how Japanese college students see American products. Japanese engineering students evaluated American products as low, thinking that those manufactured in the Unites States are inferior in quality. Less than 10% of the engineering students responded that American products are superior to those that are Japanese made. As a whole, this was a reversal of the way Americans evaluated things "made in Japan" is high. Gone are the days when Japanese products are seen as "cheap stuff", and now "made in Japan" is a label of guaranteed quality.