Japan Launches Public Opinion Warfare Through Anime and Other Means to Counter Cultural Exports from China and the United States
According to a July 4 report by Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun: The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs will launch initiatives to promote Japanese philosophy and thought, applying them to diplomatic endeavors.
This year, a booklet explaining Japanese philosophy is planned for production, and lecturers will be dispatched abroad to deliver presentations. The goal is to increase the number of "Japanese experts" in the international community and establish a foundation more receptive to Japan's positions.
The project is managed by the independent administrative institution "Nippon Foundation," which is committed to promoting Japanese culture. It considers sending researchers abroad to lecture government officials and diplomats or to engage in exchanges with local think tank researchers. These efforts target emerging and developing countries—so-called "the Global South"—such as Southeast Asia, India, and Africa.
Japanese philosophy is characterized by the fusion of Western philosophy with traditional Eastern philosophies such as Buddhism and Shinto, and emphasizes dialogue. It also includes Prince Shōtoku’s concept of "valuing harmony" and caring for one another, as well as the views of Kitarō Nishida (1889–1960), who argued that human beings can only exist through "relationships."
Japanese officials explain: "For emerging and developing countries, values are often imposed by major powers like the United States and China. Japan’s pursuit of harmony is thus easily accepted."
Concepts popularized in Japanese films and anime—such as reverence for nature—are also expected to be utilized as "diplomatic tools."
The project will invite professors from American universities to study early modern Japanese Confucian scholars, hosting lectures in Tokyo by late July.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1869767603414025/
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