Week Two Update

Hi everyone, this second post should have been uploaded earlier, but as I have been abroad since last week, I have had trouble connecting my laptop to hotel wifi until now 🙁 

Last week, I intended to upload a mini-literature review of the research that has guided my project thus far. Much of my interest in this topic stems from my experience as an American consumer: throughout the years, I’ve seen Japanese products gain momentum, from anime, to gacha games, to collectables/figures like Smiskis and Sonny Angels. But beyond just consumer trends, I wanted to understand the broader historical and political forces behind Japan’s soft power. 

Otmazgin (2012) traces the historical development of Japan’s strategies for cultural exportation. Before and during WWII, Japan forcefully imposed its culture on occupied territories to establish hegemony under the “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” at the expense of local traditions. However, in the 1980s, Japan pivoted to cultural diplomacy, leveraging its popular culture (e.g., anime, manga, J-pop) to enhance its image under initiatives like “Cool Japan.” As a destination for Japan’s soft power, other Asian nations were considered a favorite––a large middle class in Asia began emerging, with increasing amounts of leisure time. His research also examines how Japanese cultural products shape perceptions of Japan in Northeast and Southeast Asia. Surveys of university students in Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Seoul reveal that while anime and J-pop generate admiration for Japan’s creativity, they don’t necessarily translate into political alignment. Historical grievances persist despite Japan’s soft power efforts, highlighting the complexity of its cultural influence—while it fosters affinity, it does not erase historical tensions.

Similarly, Yano (2009) examines the globalization of kawaii culture, particularly through Hello Kitty, as a calculated tool of economic and cultural diplomacy. Through the lens of “pink globalization,” she analyzes how cuteness has transitioned from a domestic aesthetic to a strategic tool for Japan’s cultural and economic diplomacy. The article highlights the diverse interpretations of cuteness, ranging from playful and innocent to hypersexualized and commercialized, as well as its roles in gender, identity, and transnational consumerism. Yano argues that kawaii operates as a nuanced cultural export, embodying the essence of Japan’s soft power and simultaneously sparking debates about national identity and global consumer culture. Chen (2016) explores its strategic development as a tool for cultural diplomacy and global branding in her analysis of kawaii culture. She argues that kawaii icons like Sanrio characters were intentionally designed to project a playful and youthful image of Japan internationally, contrasting with traditional perceptions of a stoic and honor-bound society. Both the Japanese government and corporations have embraced this deliberate cultivation of cuteness to enhance cultural influence and economic reach. Soon, I will be reading Yano’s book, Pink Globalization to further explore her dissection of Hello Kitty as a soft power titan in greater detail. 

Zamora, Ruiz, and Arizabal (2023) further contextualize kawaii culture as a post-war rebranding tool, arguing that it helped obscure Japan’s wartime atrocities while promoting a new, sanitized international image. They critique the erasure of historical memory and emphasize the importance of accountability, particularly regarding symbols like the Rising Sun flag associated with the Japanese Imperial Army, which is an accepted symbol of Japanese culture, a sentiment not extended to the Nazi flag of fascist Germany. 

Ng (2002) adds a regional perspective, analyzing Japan’s cultural influence on East Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea. Japanese manga and anime have significantly shaped local industries, introducing styles and narratives that resonate with youth culture. Specifically, Ng raises examples of other Asian comics borrowing the Japanese styles to achieve greater popularity. The “flying geese” model describes how Japan has led regional cultural innovation, transferring expertise while benefiting from collaborative projects with its neighbors.

As I continue this project, I’m excited to explore more perspectives—especially Yano’s Pink Globalization. There’s much more for me to unpack about how Japan has strategically leveraged its culture, from historical revisionism to consumer branding. More updates soon! 

Sources:

Chen, Angela. “The Serious Subtext of Japan’s ‘Cute’ Culture – JSTOR Daily.” JSTOR Daily, July 14, 2016. https://daily.jstor.org/the-serious-subtext-of-japans-cute-culture/.

Otmazgin, Nissim Kadosh. “Geopolitics and Soft Power: Japan’s Cultural Policy and Cultural Diplomacy in Asia.” Asia-Pacific Review 19, no. 1 (May 2012): 37–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/13439006.2012.678629. 

Otmazgin, Nissim. “Japan Imagined: Popular Culture, Soft Power, and Japan’s Changing Image in Northeast and Southeast Asia.” Contemporary Japan 24, no. 2 (2012): 147–174. https://doi.org/10.1515/cj-2012-0001. 

Ng, Wai-ming. “The Impact of Japanese Comics and Animation in Asia.” Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry, July/August 2002.

Yano, Christine R. “Wink on Pink: Interpreting Japanese Cute as It Grabs the Global Headlines.” The Journal of Asian Studies 68, no. 3 (2009): 681–88. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20619791.

Zamora, Ethan Julian, Jeric Ruiz, and Justine Avery Arizabal. “Goodbye War Crimes, Hello Kitty.” Pacific Atrocities Education Blog, September 2023. https://www.pacificatrocities.org/blog/goodbye-war-crimes-hello-kitty.