In the weeks leading up to the invasion of Iraq, it was common for reporters throughout the world to sample public opinion about it. As journalism, man-on-the-street interviews are more or less a sideshow, since, depending on the country, they offer little of substance in terms of information. Americans, in particular, while quick to give their views on the Iraq crisis, usually had nothing to back up those views. Their information was either incomplete, owing to the U.S. media's generally one-sided coverage, or naive, owing to a lack of perspective best represented by the fact that history is no longer an integral part of U.S. primary education.

In Japan, the situation is as bad if not worse, but at least the media is willing to admit it. Last Tuesday, an hour before U.S. President George W. Bush's televised ultimatum, TV Asahi's "Super Morning" news show ran a segment in which reporters asked people on the street what they wanted to know about the Iraq conflict and then attempted to answer those questions. The telling title of the segment was "Maybe it's too late to ask, but . . . "

Better late than never. Some questions, such as "Where is Iraq?" and "Will war lead to a toilet paper shortage?," were beyond the pale. However, among the 150 respondents the two most common queries were "Why war?" and "What is Japan's position?" The fact that these two questions ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, shows that people at least know what it is they are supposed to know.