Why Is Japan So Cool? A Crash Course on Project Cool Japan
Cultures all over the globe mesh and intertwine with each other to birth innovations and trends.
Nowadays, this is seen at an unprecedented speed thanks to modern technologies and social platforms. In fact, importing and exporting media, food and arts have never been so easy; most of us have a go-to order from our local Indian cuisine restaurant, indulge in French films and listen to some Nigerian beats, or are even following a foreign language course.
Cosplayer in the US.
In this multicultural era, Japan does not see itself losing at the “culture competition”. From the Western gaze, Japan is seen as pretty much always on top of trends concerning fashion, video games, and film, as well as robotics and other futuristic niches, while tourism stays soaring. This country is known for its manga and anime which, being inevitably charming and consuming, became a popular hobby in Western countries, as well as sports like karate and judo. Japan, mostly its capital Tokyo, is known for its novelty and coolness. But, how did Japan get so cool?
An advertisement for Japanese brand Sony’s Walkman during the 80s.
The world knows many answers to this question, but the Nippon archipelago only knows one: the Cool Japan project. Project Cool Japan was first coined in the early 2000s by the Japanese government, as a proposal on a mission to export Japanese culture instead of just products and redefine the image and brand of the country. The point of this was to adopt soft power instead of using hard power.
A vintage ad from Nintendo, a Japanese video game company.
Soft power versus hard power is a concept popularized by Joseph Nye in the 80s. While soft power is about influencing others to “want what you want” by attraction and co-option on a diplomatic level, hard power is about making them submit to your wants by coercion, sometimes involving armed forces. This concept can apply to small institutions as well as intergovernmental organizations.
Shibuya Scramble in the early 2000s.
Because of the consequences of WWII, Japan’s reputation was completely botched and, since the post-war era, Japan has had very little hard power as a country. In 1947, the Japanese Constitution was realized, and, in Article 9 of the Constitution, Japan has outlawed war as “a means to settle international disputes involving the state”, abolishing its offensive army and keeping only a defensive one. Therefore, soft power was the way to go to grow international recognition and endorse diplomatic relationships while boosting their economy as a means to rebuild the country’s image. Also, the Japanese government planned that the promotion of their soft power would encourage the idea that they are a peace-loving nation [which could also be interpreted as an attempt to start over on a clean slate and erase the gravity of their actions during WWII], as well as culturally endowed and ready for the future.
A manga store located in China.
Project Cool Japan saw its seed planted when a popular Japanese TV drama was well-received overseas in the 1980s. Oshin, the TV series, was definitely not the first Japanese media export but the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs [MOFA] saw potential in its culture and from that point forward, pushed nation branding. As the country met an economic bubble at the same time, Japanese products, mainly from the automobile and tech industry, were in vogue in foreign countries since they were efficient but affordable. When the bubble burst and the economy met a low in the following decade, Japan had to rethink what it could offer the world.
Japanese soap-opera Oshin.
As aforementioned, the beginning of the 21st century was when this project found itself on the priority list of the Japanese government. Although the official Cool Japan Fund wasn’t founded until 2013, this proposal was created before and its three points were “Promoting Domestic Growth, Connecting Japan and Other Countries, Becoming Japan that Helps the World”. In simple words, it is to make Japan appealing to foreigners and fortify its economy by diversifying diplomatic relationships. This initiative set out active government funding for all things manufactured and technological that also serves as creative content, like novel designs and products that portray Japanese pop culture, in order to appeal to non-Japanese and a new audience that was not interested prior. Also, other envisioned projects were promoting food with tourism, and vice-versa.
Hello Kitty, originated from Japan, observed with Paris Hilton, an American reality TV star.
In a way, the MOFA set out a very ambitious project but definitely had some success in the mid-2000s. Kawaii style was making waves in young non-Japanese communities, as well as a brief rise in J-Pop and J-Rock. Foreign academic institutions saw a rise in courses teaching things related to Japanese culture since schools sought “coolness” to attract students. Manga sales skyrocketed as there was an increase in demand overseas. People were loving Ghibli movies, Sailor Moon, Dragon BallZ, listening to Baby Metal, and dressing up like Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.
Footage of “Otaku-thon”, an anime and manga convention in Montreal, Canada, in 2010.
However, Japan’s nation branding approach has received some backlash. In order to promote their constitution of peace as much as possible, in the 90s, Japan was criticized by its allies for its non-participation during the Gulf War. Also, soft power is high reward as much as it is high risk: a few politicians have made outrageous remarks, damaging Japan’s credibility, therefore affecting its soft power. In addition, as time went by, the MOFA grew inactive in its efforts to promote Japanese culture and arts overseas due to its confidence that the country seemed “cool” enough internationally. The famous singer Gackt publicly called out the project due to its stagnancy after seeing that Japanese pop culture’s popularity was declining fast, saying: “Who the hell is this budget for? I wonder if anyone living in Japan actually understands what Cool Japan does.” Since the 2010s, Japan is in serious competition with South Korea, which, with the Hallyu Wave, is leading as one of the most popular Eastern Asian countries in the West, since the government is actively pushing South-Korean culture to the world [think of the recent successes in South-Korean cinematography and music].
Wii Sports Resort, a popular video game from the mid-2000s, developed by Japanese company Nintendo.
As of today, Cool Japan is still in action. Although strategies to distinguish the country seem to be minimal, some Japanese subcultures are back in trend, due to their circulation over social media. All in all, it seems that the exportation of Nippon-made products in the 1980s and the 1990s still have an effect today, as many non-Japanese countries consume brands, entertainment, and food introduced in that era. Project Cool Japan has been a topic of study for multiple academic journals and observed by many other nations. Even if the Cool Japan Fund seems to be forgetting to push culture and arts, Japan is a destination for many tourists as well as exchange students, and, for that part, this governmental initiative is doing well.
Manga translated into French.
Overall, the original efforts of promoting the nation still seem to have lingering effects. Since the 1980s, Japan has been a country admired for its uniqueness and otherworldliness by foreigners, and still to this day, Tokyo is the metropolitan dream for so many people and the epitome of cool for aspects such as fashion, art, music and its nightlife. While Cool Japan did advance global promotion, the charm and novelty of all kinds of Japanese subcultures also helped boost the image of this country. After all, without the contribution of all that falls into the category of soft power, Japan wouldn't be so cool.
About the Author:
Mizuki Khoury
Born in Montreal, based in Tokyo. Sabukaru’s senior writer and works as an artist under Exit Number Five.
