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Cool Japan Initiative as Japan’s Soft Power Potential in Indonesia

Since 2004, Cool Japan is known as the instrument of Japanese public diplomacy. Japan is using pop culture as its multi-track diplomacy instrument. Cool Japan initiative is one of Japan's foreign policies to introduce Japanese pop culture across the world, especially Indonesia. Cool Japan is part of Japan’s foreign policy to enhance its nation branding prestige globally.


Source: https://www.ana-cooljapan.com/

In the 1990s, Japan faced an economic crisis and experienced economic growth stagnancy (0% per year) which decreased national productivity and later will affect human capital decay. Though Japan has its industrial power, it cannot help Japan's economic growth. Douglas McGray in 2002 stated Japan as a cultural superpower. He stated Japan has its own potential using pop culture. Anime and manga are popular in the United States, fashion magazines and Japanese music have gained popularity in Taiwan and Europe. Japanese Game, ‘Pokemon’ is globally popular.

Based on this, the government of Japan adopted its cultural popularity and used pop culture to gain power through the gross national cool concept. In the beginning, Cool Japan is only used as Japan’s public diplomacy instrument. Later, in its development, Cool Japan not also used to introduce Japanese pop culture, but also used it to pursue Japan’s economic interests globally.

Popular Japanese cultural products have been exported, traded, and consumed globally over the past few decades. Not only do Japanese fashion magazines originate in Hong Kong, but Japanese comic novels are also translated into languages including South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, and Taiwan. Doraemon, Hello Kitty, Ampan-Man, Pokemon, Astro Boy, Sailor Moon, One Piece, and other Japanese anime characters can be found in marketplaces in major Asian cities as toys, school, and workplace supplies, and animated films that have been translated into the local language. (Wahyuni, 2018).

To boost Japan's international image, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of Japan implemented a policy of sponsoring a number of initiatives to attract people from other nations. The goal of these projects is to improve the image of the Japanese government and society by increasing mutual trust and respect. MOFA runs a number of activities, including using Japanese pop culture to attract publications and traditional culture, sports, and enhancing the promotion of Japanese language learning. The Ministry of Japan is also working with the Japan Foundation, which has offices in numerous countries, to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of pop culture usage.

Japan is one of the few countries that consistently engage in cultural diplomacy with Indonesia. As the rest of the globe becomes more familiar with Japanese pop culture, the influence of Japanese pop culture is also felt in Indonesia. The Indonesian audience became familiar with Japanese films, fashion, comics, food, and other cultural peculiarities. Anime and manga characters such as Naruto, Shin-chan, Doraemon and others are also well-known in Indonesian culture, particularly among the youth. In Indonesia, the Japanese Culture Festival is also a popular event. The Japan Foundation organized JakJapan Matsuri, an annual event that uses pop culture as an attraction and a form of cultural diplomacy for Japan.

There are many and various Japanese ‘matsuri’ conducted in Indonesia, and cannot be counted because it is so many, approximately there are three main national scale events such as Anime Festival Asia, World Cosplay Summit, and Jak Japan Matsuri. There are many more sub-regional events conducted in high schools or regional such as Bandung Japan Festival, etc.

Indonesian people are heavily impacted by Japanese cultural penetration. Indonesians have mainly used the internet to get to know Japanese subcultures such as anime, manga, games, cosplay, etc. There are many internet forums based on many platforms which conducted various Japanese cultural events or ‘matsuri’. They became aware of Japan’s cultural presence in Indonesia. Not only imitating the Japanese lifestyle through anime and manga, Indonesians also love Japanese cuisines as there are many Japanese-themed restaurants in Indonesia. For Japan, this is a huge foreign policy achievement. But for Indonesia, this is a threat to Indonesian local culture.


References:

Kartikasari, Wahyuni. (2018). The Role of Anime and Manga in Indonesia-Japan Cultural Diplomacy.


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