The Limited Diplomatic Potential of "Cool Japan"

“Cool Japan” is a new public diplomacy program focused on the promotion Japanese pop culture. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) promotes various elements of Japanese subculture including pop music and fashion. The two most famous cultural components are anime and manga.  Cool Japan is an intelligent move by MOFA. As Nakamura writes, the government was able to harness the already existing popularity of anime and manga comics. From this perspective, the program has been successful in promoting attractive aspects of modern Japanese culture. Japan appointed the character Doraemon as an Anime Ambassador. Many American bookstores feature manga sections, which is an important indicator of popularity. Considering the domination of Hollywood films and English-language music on the radio, the U.S. entertainment market is not an easy one to break into. 

Another piece of evidence in support of Cool Japan is the ability of pop culture to generate further interest in Japan. Kenjiro Monji, former director of the Public Diplomacy Department of MOFA said interest in anime and manga inspires fans to study the Japanese language. Furthermore, some fans travel to Japan to visit the sites from their favorite comics or films. In this way, Cool Japan serves as a gateway to greater exploration of Japanese culture. Nakamura also quotes Joseph Nye, who says that a country that utilizes popular channels of communication is more likely to be successful in spreading its messages. Cool Japan leverages its public diplomacy initiatives by appealing to the general public, which is highly effective in terms of the new public diplomacy.

Nakamura writes that some critics find fault with Cool Japan because of its limited appeal. While anime might have many fans, there are just as many people who might find it “frivolous.” This isn’t the most compelling argument, since the same thing could be said about any cultural program in any country. Also, Nakamura focuses his article on anime and manga, which do attract a specific fan base. But there are other aspects of Japanese pop culture that attract different audiences. The newest initiative from Cool Japan will be recreating parts of Tokyo in other cities around the world. This will be no small feat. But even a handful of “Little Tokyo’s” would introduce foreign audiences to a more conventional slice of life in Japan.

So far we can see that Cool Japan has been successful at generating interest in Japanese culture and highlighting the country’s distinctive elements. However, these aren’t Japan’s only diplomatic objectives. Japan wants to demonstrate leadership in international affairs, which includes earning a permanent spot on the UN Security Council, and disseminate a peaceful national image. It is unclear as to whether Cool Japan has the capacity to increase Japan’s soft power to the point of fulfilling these goals.

Nakamura and Kenijo described one argument for Cool Japan as an indicator of leadership. Some Japanese public diplomacy practitioners believe that developing countries, for example Iraq, are interested in emulating Japan’s postwar comeback. According to this view, such countries admire Japan for its ability to modernize while still retaining its culture. Kenijo considers that malleability to be a strength of Japanese culture. That’s an interesting point, but it’s probably not the type of leadership the Security Council regards most highly when evaluating potential new members.

Interestingly enough, while Ogawa writes that Japan sees itself as a source of inspiration for this reason, it is Japan’s very postwar “comeback” that presents a major soft power problem in places like China and South Korea. As Nakamura details, it remains very controversial as to whether Japan issued a proper official apology for its wartime aggressions. This is no small soft power obstacle. Anime and J-pop are fun, maybe even enlightening, but they can’t erase the memories of war. Cool Japan is not enough to realize Japan’s major public diplomacy goals. If Japan wants to be seen as an international leader of harmony and peace, it must atone for its conduct in World War II with an apology and leadership in humanitarian issues. Until then, Cool Japan will only generate a more superficial soft power based mostly on commercial entertainment.