Cultural policy, cross-border dialogue and cultural diversity

‘Cool Japan’ has become a mainstream cultural policy in Japan and is likely to continue to be so as we move closer to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. While much criticized, the policy has serious implications for cultural matters. This chapter explores the enhancement of soft power and cultural diplomacy – especially ‘pop culture diplomacy’ – as part of the Cool Japan policy. It argues that the policy is principally a one-way projection of national images in line with the idea of nation branding and that its rapid development has been at the cost of two key cultural issues: the promotion of cross-border dialogue and the fostering of cultural diversity within national borders.