State-Society Relations Under the COVID-19 Disaster in Japan

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic forced states worldwide to intervene in citizens' lives, especially in two critical aspects: behavioral constraints and economic compensations. Accordingly, the pandemic provides an opportunity to reconsider the role of the state. Given that public opinion is an essential determinant of state-society relations in a democracy, this chapter investigates the extent to which people in Japan think the state should intervene in people's lives. The authors propose four hypotheses (political party support, anxiety about infection risk, authoritative attitude, and economic ideology) and test them by analyzing data from a questionnaire survey. The analysis reveals that whereas support for the ruling party and authoritarian attitudes positively affect support for COVID-19 measures, economic ideologies such as liberalism and redistribution do not affect it positively or negatively. The results indicate both the similarities and differences in public opinion regarding the state's role between Japan and Western countries and provide implications for Japanese society in the post-pandemic era.