John Brown's Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review: Public Diplomacy of Japan

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Public Diplomacy of Japan

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan 外務, mofa.go.jp

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In order to conduct foreign policy smoothly and effectively, it is essential to promote an understanding of Japan among the general public overseas and to enhance their image of and sense of affinity toward Japan, in addition to appealing directly to policymaking groups in other countries. In recent years in particular, against the backdrop of the dramatic advance of the Internet and other information and communications technology, as well as the progress of democratization around the world, public opinion has a growing influence on foreign policy. Accordingly, many observers have stressed the importance of "public diplomacy" - direct appeals to citizens and public opinion in other countries in cooperation with the private sector.

From this perspective, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan utilizes various public relations tools to provide international audiences with information about Japan's foreign policy and general information on Japan. In cooperation with the Japan Foundation, the Foreign Ministry also makes efforts to introduce traditional culture, pop culture, and other attractions of Japan to other countries, to provide support for the promotion of the Japanese language overseas, and to foster people-to-people exchange with other countries as well as cooperation through such international organizations as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations University.