THE BIGGEST NEWS STORIES OF THE SECOND HALF OF 2001:
Online Survey
February 21, 2002

In an online survey by Trends in Japan, two-thirds of respondents selected the terrorist attacks in the United States as the most important news story of the second half of 2001 (August-December) [See graph 1]. The terrorists' previously unimaginable method of hijacking large passenger planes and crashing them into skyscrapers, causing massive loss of life, shocked people the world over. The majority of respondents of both gender and in all age groups cited the September 11 attacks as the top news item. The prominence of this event in people's minds also manifested itself in the respondents' hopes for 2002: over 60% of respondents said they hoped for the elimination of terrorism and the realization of world peace in 2002.

September 11 Dominates Memories of 2001
This survey, aimed at finding out what kind of news attracts businesspeople's interest, was conducted at the beginning of 2002; the 100 respondents (50 men and 50 women) were mainly businesspeople in their thirties. There were 30 respondents in their twenties, 50 respondents in their thirties, and 20 respondents in their forties.

2001's Biggest News on asahi.com

  1. Terrorist attacks in the United States
  2. Japan's first case of mad cow disease
  3. Start of Koizumi Cabinet
  4. Ehime-Maru sunk by U.S. submarine
  5. Ichiro's achievements in the Major Leagues
First the respondents were asked to choose, from a list of news items from the last half of 2001 covering politics, the economy, international affairs, society, sports, and entertainment, the one that left the strongest impression on them. The overwhelming majority, 66%, selected the terrorist attacks in the United States. The flying of two hijacked passenger aircraft into the World Trade Center in New York City caused the twin towers to collapse. Scenes of people fleeing the devastation were broadcast live on television throughout the world. When asked to explain why they thought this news item was the most important, some 32% of respondents mentioned the "shocking" and "tragic" nature of the incident. Other comments included "a global historic event comparable to a war," "an event that could only happen in the world of fiction," and "It made me realize that world peace isn't that easy to achieve."

The second most popular answer was Japan's record unemployment rate, cited by 10% of the survey respondents. Deflation and other symptoms of Japan's prolonged economic slump have led to a steady rise in the full-unemployment rate, which reached its worst-ever level of 5.6% in December of last year. Everyone who chose this story made comments like "It could happen to me anytime" and "Things are getting worse at my company too, and I'm worried about my own future," which suggests there is widespread anxiety about how this situation could affect their own lives.

Good News Ranks High

2001's Biggest News on Yomiuri On-Line
<overseas>

  1. Terrorist attacks in the United States
  2. President Bush inaugurated
  3. Exposure to inhalation anthrax in th U.S.
  4. 2008 Olympics to be held in Beijing
  5. Buddhas of Bamiyan destroyed by Taliban

<in Japan>

  1. Birth of Crown Princess Masako's baby
  2. Ehime-Maru sunk by U.S. submarine
  3. Start of Koizumi Cabinet
  4. Japan's first case of mad cow disease
  5. Murder of children in an Osaka elementary school
The third-ranking story, chosen by 7% of respondents, was the birth of Crown Princess Masako's baby, Princess Aiko - a news item from December 1, 2001. Comments about this story included "It put all of Japan in a celebratory mood."

The fourth-ranking story was the achievements of baseball player Ichiro Suzuki, who made a record number of hits for a Major League rookie and was named Rookie of the Year and MVP of the American League. Many of those who chose this story explained their choice by saying that it had cheered them up.

Tied for fifth place were the government's decision to dispatch the Self-Defense Force and Japan's first case of mad cow disease (each selected by 3% of respondents). The SDF deployment was intended to support U.S. military action against Afghanistan's former rulers, the Taliban, and the Al Qaeda terrorist organization. The latter news item, dated last September, concerned the discovery of mad cow disease in a cow in Chiba Prefecture. Though all beef cattle shipped to the market have been checked for the disease since then, the uproar has not died down; consumers continue to avoid beef.

Next on the list of most important news items was the opening of Tokyo DisneySea, which occurred last September and placed seventh (2% of respondents). Three stories, each cited by 1% of respondents, tied for eighth place: the successful launch of Japan's H-IIA rocket (August); the award of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Nagoya University Professor Ryoji Noyori; and Naoko Takahashi's world marathon record (2 hours, 19 minutes, 46 seconds, set in September's Berlin Marathon).

Separating the responses by gender reveals that the news of Crown Princess Masako's baby ranks fifth in significance among male respondents (2%) and second among female respondents (12%). The relative importance of the story to female respondents may arise from their feeling of sharing in the joy of motherhood. Perhaps because of anxiety about what would become of them if a war should break out, the news of the government's decision to dispatch Self-Defense Force ranked third (6%) among female respondents as the most important news item.

Separating the answers by age reveals that respondents in their thirties were the ones who attached the greatest significance to the terrorist attacks; 74% of respondents in this age group chose the attacks as the most important news story. Those in their twenties were least attentive to this news item; only 54% of this group selected it as the most important. This group was also the least attentive to the news about the high unemployment rate, which ranked only fifth (3%) among them. The age group that attached the most significance to the unemployment story was respondents in their forties (25% of whom rated it the most important news item), probably because this group is most anxious about unemployment and most keenly aware of the difficulty of starting over in the job market.

Hopes for Peace and Economic Recovery
Respondents were also asked about their hopes for 2002 in different fields. In the realm of international affairs, the most prevalent wish was for world peace, including the reconstruction of Afghanistan and the achievement of peace in the Middle East; 42% of respondents expressed this hope. Next came items related to the elimination of terrorism, chosen by 21% of respondents. Both of these responses seem to reflect the impact of the September 11 attacks and the U.S. military action in Afghanistan. For the lower-ranking items, the percentages of respondents dropped off quickly: Ranked in third place were efforts to address environmental issues (chosen by 7%), followed by economic recovery in fourth place (4%).

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As for social issues, responses were scattered among several concerns. The most prevalent hope, cited by 21% of respondents, pertained to a cure for mad cow disease. This hope was followed by "measures to address the aging of society" (13%), "measures to deal with child abuse" (9%), and "educational reform" (8%).

Though respondents' hopes in the economic arena were expressed in a variety of slightly different ways--an end to the deflationary spiral, an economic recovery, employment security, and so on--the responses constituted a loud chorus calling for measures to address economic conditions and employment; these two concerns together accounted for 88% of responses about hopes for the economy in 2002.

In the realm of politics, the most prevalent wish was for structural reform by the Koizumi administration; some respondents said they wanted to see "concrete, visible results by the end of 2002," while others expressed reservations by appealing for "restructuring unaccompanied by pain."

Because this year's World Cup soccer tournament is being cohosted by Japan and South Korea, responses related to the World Cup accounted for over 50% of opinions in areas other than those previously mentioned. World Cup-related hopes included "the success of the World Cup," "a good showing by the Japanese team," and "exciting games played here in Japan."
Copyright (c) 2002 Japan Information Network. Edited by Japan Echo Inc. based on domestic Japanese news sources. Articles presented here are offered for reference purposes and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.


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