J@pan Inc Newsletter<br><div class="gmail_quote"><div><div class="Wj3C7c"><div class="gmail_quote"><div class="gmail_quote"><div><div></div><div>The 'JIN' J@pan Inc Newsletter<br>A weekly opinion piece on social, economic and political trends<br>
in Japan.<br>
Issue No. 470 Wednesday June 18, 2008, Tokyo<br><br>
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More about PBXL: <a href="http://www.pbxl.jp/aboutus2" target="_blank">http://www.pbxl.jp/aboutus2</a><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>Soft Power<br><br>In international relations, the term 'soft power' was introduced<br>
by Harvard professor Joseph Nye to describe the capacity for the<br>propagation of one nation's culture to promote its national <br>interests. Initially he sought to explain the importance of the <br>globalization of American culture, from baseball to McDonald's, <br>
in its rise to super-power status. However, Nye himself and <br>other theorists have developed the concept and analyzed its <br>relevance to a range of different countries. With its 'hard <br>power' constitutionally restricted there is a strong case to be <br>
made that for Japan, 'soft power' is something it has done <br>well to cultivate.<br><br>Across the globe, much of Japanese culture is widely recognized:<br>karate, karaoke, sushi, sumo, tea ceremony, shodo, manga, and <br>
origami are well known to many in Europe, the US and throughout <br>Asia. However, it is difficult to identify how much of this <br>dissemination has been actively promoted by Japanese politicians<br>or business people, and how much is merely an organic result of <br>
Japan's interaction with the world. It is also difficult to <br>measure the benefits (or costs) that Japan derives from this <br>dissemination of culture. After all, do people who have seen <br>James Bond movies really believe that Britain regularly saves us<br>
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all from annihilation, or just because people wear reggae <br><div><div></div><div>T-shirts does it mean they aren't racist towards black people? <br><br>However, a recent paper by Nassim Kadosh Otmazgin (published in <br>
International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, June 2007) offers <br>
up some evidence to suggest that in the Asian region the <br>Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has been successful <br>in actively changing perceptions of Japan through promulgation <br>of popular culture. For example, government reports on diplomacy<br>
refer repeatedly to terms such as 'soft power' and 'Gross <br>National Cool.' Some argue that the growing popularity of <br>characters such as Hello Kitty in China, Taiwan, and South Korea<br>is acting as a counter balance to anti-Japanese sentiment <br>
originating in those countries' experience of Japanese <br>colonialism. <br><br>But, as Otmazgin observes, the key value is probably economic – <br>he calculates that 'Japanese global cultural export value, <br>including the media copyrights, publishing, fashion, and other <br>
related entertainments and fine art, tripled in the 11 years <br>between 1993 and 2003, totaling as much as JPY10.5 trillion for <br>the entire period.' Beyond this, it is clear that films such as <br>Lost in Translation and Kill Bill have pushed up Japan's revenue<br>
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<a href="http://www.c21sky.com/c1/" target="_blank">http://www.c21sky.com/c1/</a><br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>[...Article continues]<br><br>While cultural and political theorists may concern themselves <br>
with the range of images of Japan that such exports promote or <br>prevent, the financial benefit is unquestionable. Joseph Nye <br>himself, writing in The Japan Times a couple of years ago <br>expressed his own concern at the political benefits of Japan's <br>
'soft power:' <br><br>'By mid-century, Japan's population could shrink by 30% unless <br>it attracts 17 million immigrants - a hard task in a country <br>historically resistant to immigration. Moreover, the Japanese <br>
language is not widely spoken, and Japan's meager English-<br>language skills make it difficult to attract international <br>talent to its universities. Japan's culture remains inward-<br>looking.' <br><br>This view seems logical in that decreasing numbers of Japanese <br>
people will probably reduce interaction between Japan and the <br>rest of the world but it perhaps overlooks the impressive, if <br>incomplete, work that has been done to bring foreigners to Japan<br>and educate them about Japanese culture. The JET Programme for <br>
example, while bringing foreigners to Japan to assist with <br>English education, has another benefit of bringing graduates <br>from around the world to Japan and educating them about Japanese<br>language and culture – the majority go back to their own countries <br>
with very positive views of Japan. Similarly, regional training <br>schemes and language exchanges also have a similar effect. <br>Moreover, according to the Japan Foundation there are 2.98 <br>million people in 133 countries studying Japanese at 13,639 <br>
institutions outside of Japan. This surprisingly large number <br>shows a strong and continuing interest in Japan and suggests <br>that Japan's 'soft power,' defined in terms of the ability to <br>draw people towards it and create sympathy with its language and<br>
culture, is not to be underestimated.<br><br>Peter Harris<br>Editor-in-Chief<br><br>++FEEDBACK<br><br>Want to comment? It is now even easier to voice your opinion<br>than ever before! Simply post a comment below the article<br>
online at <a href="http://www.japaninc.com/jin470" target="_blank">www.japaninc.com/jin470</a>.<br><br>--------NEW GADGET BLOG: TEKRONOMICON.COM------------------<br><br>In collaboration with Gadget Watch, Gadget blog Tekronomicon<br>
offers a detailed look at select gadgets - shiny and strange,<br>
from gizmo ground zero in Tokyo.<br>See the gadgets introduced in Gadget Watch,<br>with photos and more at: <a href="http://www.tekronomicon.com" target="_blank">www.tekronomicon.com</a><br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>
<br>++EVENTS<br><br>-------------------- ICA Event - June 25 ------------------<br><br>Speaker: Henry Ng, Head of Professional Security Services<br>-Asia, Verizon Business<br><br>Topic: Bridging the Security Management Gap:<br>
How to Move from Point Solutions to Process<br><br>Details: Complete event details at <a href="http://www.icajapan.jp/" target="_blank">http://www.icajapan.jp/</a><br>(RSVP Required)<br>Date: Thursday, June 25, 2008<br>Time: 6:30 Doors open includes light buffet<br>
Cost: 4,000 yen (members), 6,000 yen (non-members)<br>Open to all-venue is The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan<br><a href="http://www.fccj.or.jp/aboutus/map" target="_blank">http://www.fccj.or.jp/aboutus/map</a><br>
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