Cool Japan and the Hallyu Wave: the Effect of Popular Culture Exports on National Image and Soft Power
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Ursinus College Digital Commons @ Ursinus College East Asian Studies Honors Papers Student Research 5-14-2021 Cool Japan and the Hallyu Wave: The Effect of Popular Culture Exports on National Image and Soft Power Gillianne Lux Ursinus College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/eastasia_hon Part of the Asian Studies Commons, Japanese Studies Commons, Korean Studies Commons, and the Sociology of Culture Commons Click here to let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Lux, Gillianne, "Cool Japan and the Hallyu Wave: The Effect of Popular Culture Exports on National Image and Soft Power" (2021). East Asian Studies Honors Papers. 3. https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/eastasia_hon/3 This Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research at Digital Commons @ Ursinus College. It has been accepted for inclusion in East Asian Studies Honors Papers by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Ursinus College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Lux 1 Ursinus College Cool Japan and the Hallyu Wave: The Effect of Popular Culture Exports on National Image and Soft Power Gillianne Lux IDS 491-B & IDS492-D (Research Independent) Dr. Steve Aukers Dr. Rebecca Evans Dr. Matthew Mizenko 14 May 2021 Lux 2 Cool Japan and the Hallyu Wave: The Effect of Popular Culture Exports on National Image and Soft Power Abstract Japan used its export of pop culture in the post-war era not only to boost its economy but also as a means to improve its national image and project its soft power. Japanese pop culture exports emphasized a positive, non-threatening image of national culture. Though Japan’s pop culture export boom has been enormously successful, it has not been able to completely overcome its problematic past and erase historical tensions with Korea and other Asian nations. The pop culture boom has redefined Japan’s national image but not entirely. Contradictions between Japan’s curated image and actual reality, especially in the case of indigenous and ethnic minorities, also pose a challenge to Japan’s efforts to create a positive national image based on peaceful coexistence. Korea’s Hallyu Wave has been garnering more popularity and attention. The Hallyu Wave has innovative products and methods to spread South Korean pop-culture, it is use to create better relations with countries worldwide. It is similar to Japan’s Pop-Culture Boom because the Hallyu Wave aims to promote the most positive national and international image of South Korea. Lux 3 Table of Contents Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..5 The Post-War Era-Japan .......................................................................................................................... 13 The Korean War and its Effect on the Japanese Economy ..................................................................... 14 Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) .................................................................. 15 Japan & the 1964 Olympics ......................................................................................................................... 17 The Post War Era-South Korea ................................................................................................................ 18 South Korean Economy in the Post War Era ............................................................................................... 20 Japanese-Korean Relations in the Post-War Period ............................................................................... 24 The Success of the Post-War Japan Era .................................................................................................. 33 The Domestic & International Acceptance of Oshin/おしん ..................................................................... 34 The Influence of Technology on Popular Culture ................................................................................... 37 Making Culturally Odorless Pop-Culture ................................................................................................. 38 Japanese Pop Culture as Model of Success and Bridge to Western Culture .......................................... 40 Expressing Nostalgia Through Pop-Culture ............................................................................................ 42 The Innovation of the Export of Japanese Pop-Culture Throughout the World (History and Process) . 44 Japanese Television Programs: One of the First Pop-Culture Exports from Japan ................................. 48 Fandom Definition & Importance ........................................................................................................... 50 Japanese Pop Music (J-Pop/Jーポップ) Definition & Important Themes .............................................. 50 Manga & Anime (漫画とアニメ):Terms and Influence to the Export of Japanese Pop-Culture Domestically & Internationally ............................................................................................................... 54 Kawaii Culture (可愛い文化) : Definition & Importance to the Export of Japanese Pop-Culture ......... 57 Cool Japan (クールジャパン) & Japan’s Identity .................................................................................. 58 Japan’s Indigenous Groups: The Ainu and Ryūkyū ................................................................................. 61 Assimilating the Ryūkyū .......................................................................................................................... 68 Korean Ethnic Minorities in Japan [在日(Zainichi)] ........................................................................... 73 Conclusion (Japan Popular Culture Boom) ............................................................................................. 80 The Ban of Japanese Pop-Culture in South Korea .................................................................................. 82 Influences of Japan’s Pop-Culture Boom on South Korea ...................................................................... 85 A Brief History of South Korea’s Export of Pop-Culture: Including the Hallyu Wave 1.0 & 2.0 .............. 88 Lux 4 Korean Pop-Music (K-Pop) ...................................................................................................................... 93 Technology & The Hallyu Wave 2.0 ........................................................................................................ 99 LG’s Successful Localization Strategy .................................................................................................... 102 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 104 Lux 5 Power “means an ability to do things and control others, to get others to do what they would otherwise not … the ability to control others is often associated with [politicians, diplomats, territory, natural resources, economic size, military force and political stability] … Today, however, the definition of power is losing its emphasis on military force and conquest that marked earlier eras. The factors of technology, education, and economic growth are becoming more significant in international power” (Nye 154). Throughout history, hard power has been the primary means of defining the world and the countries that control it. Hard power has been dominant for centuries and continues to be significant, as countries continue to build up their militaries as a sign of their coercive power. The United States enjoyed dominant military and economic power after World War II, although it also excelled in projecting soft power, attracting partners and supporters through the appeal of its culture, ideals and values. As America’s relative power declined over the course of the Cold War, the United States had less leverage to control the political environment and pressure other countries into doing what it wanted (Nye 155-156). Power was increasingly diffused due to five global trends: “economic interdependence, transnational actors, nationalism in weak states, the spread of technology, and changing political issues” such as ecological changes, health epidemics and terrorism that requires new power resources and global cooperation (Nye 160- 163). New communications, transportation and technology have revolutionized global markets and dramatically increased trade, as declining costs enable smaller countries and transnational companies to exchange goods and information cheaply and efficiently (Nye 161-162). Governments’ ability to control economic outcomes has diminished, as transnational companies and international financial markets now have the opportunity to shape domestic and international trade and investment. As a result, countries have increasingly turned to soft power, “a second, Lux 6 more attractive way of exercising power than traditional means” (Nye 166). Through soft power, a state may achieve the outcomes it prefers in world politics with less resistance because other states hold a positive image of the soft power leader and are more willing to follow it. This less threatening form of cooptive power has grown more important as the use of military force has become costlier, less effective and less acceptable, although military power still remains an important source of bargaining power among states (Nye 160). Culture is an extremely useful soft power resource.