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Gov't draws up 19-point plan to promote 'Cool Japan'

22 Comments

A Cool Japan Promotion Council has drawn up a 19-point plan to promote Japanese culture, arts, anime, fashion and food overseas in an effort to spread Japanese cultured.

For example, the plan will designate culinary experts as Japanese "food missionaries" and they will attend events abroad to promote traditional Japanese food and sake, TV Asahi reported.

Council members include AKB48 creator Yasushi Akimoto. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is the honorary head of the council.

Tomomi Inada, minister in charge of administrative reforms, will kick off the campaign at next month's International Conference on African Development (TICAD 5) in Yokohama.

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22 Comments
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Hope the food and sake doesn't come from Fukushima grown rice. It would be kind of counter productive.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Points are not cool dude.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

adding gov't support pretty much makes it uncool. let this stuff sell itself. Sushi made its way around the world without the help of some lifelong politician in his 70s. And no amount of gov't promotion is going to help AKB become viewed as talented by anybody other than 13 year old girls and 45 year old single dudes who drive windowless vans.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Abe = head of the cool council! Hahaha can't wait to see who else makes the list.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Cool... Anything... Generally doesn't start with a 19 point plan or have anything to do with AKB... Stop wasting my tax money!

Encourage creativety, invest some money in the arts, have more international co-operation both in creative circles and business...

5 ( +6 / -1 )

I like the idea if the target is to induce more tourist to Japan. But it should target the citizens of the countries that either don't hate you or can afford to come to Japan.

Promoting coolness of Japan to a Conference about Africa development is frankly wasting money at this point in time.

Only the younger generation will bother with the cool effect. Most of the people that can afford to visit Japan are more interested in how exotic Japan is than how cool it is.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Typical that people who are not very "cool" trying to promote cool Japan. Better to make things cool IN Japan.. and let tourists do the promotion via social media. Is there still a ban on dancing? Legalize pot if you want to be cool. There are already sushi restaurants in every city.. people are not going to travel to Japan just to eat when they can go to Genki Sushi and eat old sushi off a belt. Send more young Japanese girls abroad if you want to but they leave and do not want to come back for some reason.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Perhaps they could apply for some world heritage site, that ought to do it right?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

adding gov't support pretty much makes it uncool.

They just see what South Korean Goverment is doing from the 1998 and in the much bigger way , from the drama to the idol groups ,and they are now most cool country . 85% of their music is from singers and groups that were trained for years under contract before making their first debut ,and their every move is monitored , so that they dont make something that would ruin their image . And now one more thing to say, Korean wave is focused mostly on Japan , and that is not only just because of money, Koreans have this urge to prove themselves better in every way vs Japan , and not only that, Koreans have anti Japan propaganda in education sistem , and Japan music , anime, and movies was banned in Korea for 53 years until 1998 , so its not wonder that most hated country in Korea is Japan , and this all Korean wave is simply to deffend themselfs from Japan , but now they are attacking on Japan marked, simply from fact that Japan people dont hate koreans in same way . Japan knows that they cant get into Korean market , too big anti japan sentiment . And one more thing , haters of Japan , stop your useless hate .

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Nenad Jovanović, so is that why Japan is copying Korea? That alone makes it pretty much uncool. Cool Japan..pfffttt. lol..

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

This plans have ALWAYS EXISTED. ive been in countries where We install tv station channels to promote 3hours daily of japanese cultural programs. but this food and sake found its way outside Japan long ago. hell i see some chinese making traditional sushi they learned from nowhere I know. hahaha

but uncool aside the cultural promotions made by tue government always works in a level.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The thing about what Japanese people don't understand is that the spread of Korean pop culture in Asia came about not because of Korean government's involvement, but it came about despite of it. Japanese typically may think Korean government bribed and paid their way to promote their culture, and that's what I keep reading from Japanese net users. Now the Japan government thinks why can't Japan do the same? But they don't understand that you cannot promote popularity with a government decree or government promotional campaigns. If you have something good that other people also find interesting and find it to their liking, then it can become popular abroad - not because of government paying money to promote it. As soon as the government gets involved, they usually screw it up, because people find it uncool. This is same in Korea, as well as in Japan. What the government can do is to create a society with an environment so that the pop culture can be creative and thrive. But beyond that, micro managing and controlling flow of pop culture is never going to work.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

I know Japanese people like - or need - mottos that emphasize the group feeling.

But for me cool has a total different meaning: cool is an individual attitude, self-confidence, distance to the mainstream, no care about conventions, ...

Hence for me cool is nothing else than an antagonism to Japanese lifestyle (BTW I do not consider the Harajuku folks as cool, but just temporary local brainwashed fashionistas).

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I havent seen a single korean pop outside korea. only psy. but that eas a youtube hit

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

A list, That's not cool.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Yes Japan, you are great, we all admire you. You are so unique and harmonious. Is that enough? Dear Mr. Abe and friends, please worry more about your own people, not the views of outsiders.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

justbcusisay, would you criticize the "Great" Britain campaign that was launched some time back? Perhaps you fail to understand the fact that drawing a lot of visitors to Japan would indeed be helping a lot of its people.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

What I said came out a little wrong, but since there is no 'edit' and now I guess you can't double post I was stuck. Of course tourism is important, but I would much rather the money be spent to help the people of Fukushima and Tohoku...do you think tourists would dare go to these spots? And I think promoting better relationships with the neighboring countries that can much more afford to visit Japan would also be more helpful if the goal is tourism.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Oh dear, the desperate, never-ending need to feel loved by the rest of the world. That's not cool, that's sad.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

every country does this but Japan has done it beter

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

From the heading, I though the article would be about keeping cool in summer and saving power...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Japan is a great country worth visiting.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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