A “Cool’’ Approach to Japanese Foreign Policy: Linking Anime to International Relations

Abstract

International Relations literature is quite unfamiliar with the global phenomenon of anime and manga. This study examines Japanese soft power via approaching anime and manga as its crucial components. The article consists of three main parts. Firstly, Joseph Nye’s conceptual framework of soft power is presented; then, the cultural politics of Japanese foreign policy after World War II is described. In the third part, the Cool Japan Project is mentioned as a main column of Japanese soft power. Anime and manga have a central place in this project, with their ability to produce content that is related to Japanese culture. This study aims to analyze the substantial contribution of anime and manga to Japanese soft power

Keywords

• Cool Japan, Anime, Manga, Soft Power, Joseph Nye

References

1. 1 The history of Manga, Japanese traditional drawing art, is based on ancient times. In the 19th century, manga became modernized and in the 20th century emerged as an alternative to the Western-style comic. Any category in life can be a subject of manga. In this respect, manga is not only specific to children; a significant number of adults are interested in manga as well. Anime is animated version of manga. The anime industry, which emerged as an alternative to Disney in the 20th century, has its own artistic style. This study does not consider manga and anime as separate categories. In the “Substantial Place of Anime and Manga in Cool Japan” section, anime’s and manga’s history and definition is discusssed in detail.
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8. 8 Ibid.

9. 9 Ibid., p. 5.
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