Indonesia trust in Japan drops as Tokyo deepens US ties, survey shows
ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute survey reveals 47.9% confidence in Japan, down from 61.5% in 2025, as Jakarta values non-alignment
Quick Look
- Indonesia's trust in Japan has fallen to 47.9% from 61.5% in 2025, according to the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute's annual survey.
- Analysts attribute this to Indonesia's discomfort with Japan's deepening ties with the US, contrasting with Vietnam and the Philippines where trust remains high due to shared security concerns over Chinese pressure in the South China Sea.
AI-generated summary
For Southeast Asia, trust in Japan runs deepest where China presses hardest and breaks down where neutrality is a point of pride. Analysts say that dynamic, revealed in an annual survey released earlier this month, explains why Vietnam and the Philippines both see the East Asian nation as a trusted partner while Indonesia, a country that has long prized non-alignment, is uncomfortable with Tokyo's deepening embrace of Washington.
Trust in Tokyo is highest in the Philippines (77.3 per cent), Brunei (72.9 per cent), Cambodia (72.0 per cent) and Vietnam (67.9 per cent), according to the latest annual State of Southeast Asia survey conducted by the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
Across all 11 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, trust in Japan outweighed distrust. Yet public opinion took a turn in Indonesia, as confidence slid from 61.5 per cent in 2025 to 47.9 per cent this year.
Analysts say the strength of Japan's standing in Vietnam and the Philippines, in particular, reflects the reality on the water. Both countries face direct Chinese pressure in the South China Sea – Manila through vessel clashes and maritime friction, Hanoi through strategic resource blockades – and both have come to regard Japan as a security partner that delivers without demanding anything in return.
