Diplomacy Today: New Public Diplomacy of Japan - Essay Example

Some talented Japanese artists were also given the title of “Anime Ambassador” in the process. Aso believed that Japan’s anime and manga could be central to China. He said that what they have been doing could captivate the hearts of many youngsters across the globe inclusive of China in a seminar held at the University of Digital Content in Tokyo’s Akihabara district. This was something that the foreign ministry could have never handled on their own singled handedly. The cartoons continued to gain popularity across China.

Pop culture has the tendency to affect public and ergo we want to not just have it but popularize it on all ends. Such are the endeavors by the Japanese Government to ensure public diplomacy not just at home but also across the world. Very recently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan undertook major efforts to push, preserve and promote the Japanese culture internationally. In a speech conducted by Taro Arso, who is the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Japan, he discussed the overwhelming power of prominent cultural images.

He stressed on the importance of glorifying country’s values and history across the globe. He emphasized that the old image of diplomats sitting around in a closed room and having bland dry discussions should be ratified and rooted out. Instead the diplomats of today are true practitioners of the Japanese culture and have a major role to play in marketing the country globally. "What we have now is an era in which diplomacy at the national level is affected dramatically by the climate of opinion arising from the average person.

And that is exactly why we want pop culture, which is so effective in penetrating throughout the general public, to be our ally in diplomacy." "To put this way, one part of diplomacy lies in having a competitive brand image, so to speak. Now more than ever, it is impossible for this to stay entirely within the