Soft Power In Japan And The Soft Power Of Japan

In Peter Duus’ Japanese Discovery of America, the author shows the learning experience that Japan went through in order to become one of the strongest countries in the early 20th century. From 1797 when the first American ship arrived in Japan, to 1879 when President Grant visited the Meiji emperor, Japan, not one of the strongest countries economically and militarily at the time, had interactions with multiple countries that included Russia, England and Portugal. However, Japan’s Confucianism belief and the development of the Tokaido Road served as roots for their quick rise to modernization. Even though multiple countries were cooperating with Japan, the relations with the United States proved to be the most

Japan at the turn of the century was clearly trying to westernize and change is isolated society into one more intellectually and scientifically involved with the rest of the world. When the Japanese open their ports to the western civilization food and merchandise were not the only things being traded. When ports were open the western way of living was integrated with the Japanese culture which gradually changed the way the

Before an American naval commander “opened” Japan, the country was extremely isolated. Interaction with other nations was limited. Trade was discouraged in society due to Neo-Confucian

This foreign policy, commonly known as sakoku or “closed country”, is often seen as a period of isolation for Japan that resulted in a reduction of foreign trade and diplomatic relations. However, even beyond the Dutch at Nagasaki, Japan actually sought to establish trade and diplomatic relations with its East Asian neighbours such as Korea and Ryukyu. Therefore, in this essay, I will take the foreign policy of Japan during the 17th Century as being a period of controlled contact rather than isolation. I will also avoid using the term sakoku as it implies isolationism, and use the general term foreign policy

Feiler’s trip to Japan came from the invitation of the Japanese Ministry of Education. The purpose of his trip was to “teach English language and American culture in Japanese schools as part of a program to bring native English speakers into the heart of Japan.” At the time of his trip in 1990, Japan was emerging as a global-economic powerhouse; from the automotive industries to technology industries. Japan dominated the global markets with their products. Japan may have dominated global markets; however, its

Australia and Japan’s relationship has strengthened greatly over the last few decades. Japan has emerged from an enemy at the end of world war two to one of Australia’s most important allies today. The relationship between the two focuses on a number of areas, in particular trade, as Japan’s economy is very prosperous to Australia. Maintaining such a relationship has not always been straightforward, often presenting difficulties where the countries stray in values and opinions. Diplomats from both countries have worked hard to keep this positive relationship working. Diplomacy has allowed for Japan and Australia to receive benefits from one another while preventing major problems from arising. If troubles have developed, they have been dealt with swiftly in fear they could cause damage to the Australia-Japan relationship. Some areas the diplomatic relationship covers are the economical, cultural, security and environmental relations. Australian diplomacy has contributed to strengthening the international relationship with Japan.

In 1926 Emperor Hirohito took control of the throne and changed the dynamics of the countries’ policy (History, Imperial). The power within the country started and ended with the emperor. There were previously feuds for loyalty to a faction of ones’ choice but that ended with the Peace Preservation Law in 1925 which officially ended political freedom in Japan (History, Imperial). All loyalties in Japan now lied with the state. The state was ran by the emperor so his word and will became reality within his borders. This change brought on more conflict. Between 1932 and 1936 Japan spawned the idea of the “Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere” which called for the unification of Asian nations but under Japanese control (History, Imperial). The bottom line of this plan was for Japan to have absolute imperial control throughout the Far East. This propelled Japan into campaigns on many fronts spreading their military over vast areas. Though they were successful in these campaigns with China and Russia, their resources were running thin, forcing them to look for alternate

Japan, on the other hand, saw that to save themselves they must start “drawing on all the modern West had to offer”. To be successful they knew they would have to strengthen their rule with the imperialist views. They built their foundation off of the views that were brought during the Western Imperialization showing them to be successful. Also, “Japan was of less interest to Western powers

Both Japan and China lie in the East of Asia. ‪To a certain extent，Japan and China own similar culture background, in the Confucian Cultural Circle. But when we look back into the modern history development, Japan and China made quite different decisions when facing the western countries’ aggression. China suffered the invasion in 1840 after the first Sino-British War. Japan was in a similar situation in the black boat incident in 1853, the Opium War made the West began to pay attention to East Asia. From then on, Japan began to face the western culture. ‬The reactions, as well as the result of Japan and China were quite disparate. This article wants to discuss what lead to the difference. ‬‬

In 1868, provincial rebels overthrew the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan and the new leaders called the regime the “Meiji Restoration.” This was just the beginning for soon-to-be modernized Japan. A stronger military, new ideas, technology, and laws would be all used to transform Japan into a modern industrial nation. Because of these, modernization had a great effects on Japan’s society and the nation as a whole from 1850 to 1950. One effect modernization had was strengthening international presence and relations for Japan as a whole. This helped to keep them active on global terms and impacted them in a positive manner. Another effect modernization resulted in was the transformation of the internal society of Japan. The changes in the society all provided great benefits for Japan.

The key to broadening our relations with the Asian region is through the expansion of cultural relations. Australia already has strong connections with the Asian region through economic and logistical handling of goods, particularly regarding the export of goods. Nonetheless through guidance and interpretation of the White Paper, if stronger relationships are maintained through cultural connections, not only do countries such as China, Japan and Indonesia appreciate Australia’s understanding of their unique and diverse cultures. It is believed it will break current relationship barriers and open-up enhanced negotiating environments to deal with international business, thus creating an open and prosperous economy.

There may be the presence of other factors that contributed in shaping the modern day Japanese society, such as the changing demands of the international markets (Yoshikawa 2000, 38). Hence, while we concede that other factors may have come into place, we hope to be able to convince our readers that these policies had a crucial role in paving the way for the development of today’s

After WWII Japan was left in very bad condition, they had a lot of reconstruction to do within their society as well as outside. It took them decades to recover but they managed to get back on their feet. They were able to rebuild their reputation and take over with soft power. In the 1960s Japan’s economy grew, once the economy grew they were able to share their growth globally. Japan produced video games, VCRs, CDs and Cameras all of which induced the globalization of Asian popular culture.

Chapter 8: International Strategy ---- P&G Japan: The SK-II Globalization Project (written by Christopher A. Bartlett)

Even Nye, who so fervently espouses the use of soft power, admits to it that soft power functions to influence the ‘environment for policy’ and not the policy itself (2004a). To extend soft power beyond the realm of influence is dependent on some form of hard power to lend it credibility (Fan 2007). To exercise soft power, one must first be able have something the other party ones, be it the recipe to economic success or some form of military protection (Cooper 2004). To put it simply, soft power without hard power is ineffectual.