Nationalism and military policies in an age of increasing risks–a comparative analysis of Japan and Israel

Nationalism can significantly affect how military operations are perceived and conducted. Israel faced military risks since its establishment, while Japan has enjoyed peace for 70 years, but recent geopolitical changes have heightened perceptions of military risk. We therefore conducted a survey to examine how Japanese participants evaluate military policies and personal attributes. The results reveal a positive relationship between nationalism and support for both defensive and offensive military policies, while patriotism was less influential. To examine the robustness of our findings, we used data collected after a 2021 military conflict in Israel that showed a similar connection between nationalism and military actions. The findings suggest that nationalism plays an important role in shaping public attitudes towards military operations, even in countries with differing levels of conflict experience.