Kawaii japanthe forecast by Bahja Norwood

THE FORECAST

Bahja Norwood Senior Project

THE DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS OF JAPANESE COMICS Bahja Norwood REPORTING FROM London explains the use of anime an d manga by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of its cultural diplomacy.

Bahja Norwood is a studentjournalist at Richmond, the American International University in London. She is from Chicago, Illinois of the United States of America and has spent four months living in Japan prior to her writing this article. She is a fan of video games as well as Japanese culture.

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Japan has been selected to host the 2020 Olympics and, like Russia and the UK before them, the world’s magnifying glasses are examining Japan, and Japanese culture as a whole, including anime and manga. For diplomatic purposes Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is promoting this multi-billion dollar industry as a means to identify itself to foreign audiences. Its use as a means to identify Japan is a major contributor to Japan’s pop-culture diplomacy towards millennials. The MOFA’s goal is to get more young people willing to learn more about traditional Japanese culture after being exposed to anime and manga, according to the Counselor and Deputy Director of Japanese Information and Cultural Center for the Japanese Embassy in London, Tomoko Yoshihiro. Anime and manga represent a portion of Japan’s overall brand that will introduce itself both on the international stage and at the 2020 Olympics. Yoshihiro says that the Japanese brand is trademarked as a country with major technological advancements yet one that still remains rich in its traditional culture. She says that the goal of their cultural diplomacy is to attract people who are interested in Japanese culture and to educate those who don’t know anything at all. Cultural diplomacy is about engaging foreign publics in a dialogue about a particular country, and showing the positive side of a particular culture said Richmond University’s Associate Professor of International History, Dr. Martin Brown. He says that measuring the effects of cultural diplomacy is complicated because cultural diplomacy itself is underneath the larger umbrella of Public Diplomacy. Consequently there may be no impact of cultural diplomacy at all, or there is no guarantee that it actually works. Likewise there are multiple perceptions of Japanese culture just as there are multiple ideas about the UK’s culture, especially when considering the perceptions of reality that are portrayed in the media according to Temple University Japan’s East Asian Studies Professor, Dr. John Mock. He’s lived in Japan for over 20 years and says that there is a politically dominant narrative for the Japan as ‘Cute Japan’ or one that follows Prime Minister Abe’s nationalism. Mock says that there are many types of Japan ignored by mainstream media.

What is advertised in Japan’s cultural diplomacy, popculture and traditional culture, are what is highlighted in mainstream media. This includes the ‘cute’ Japan image and its strong economy. “Once in a great while something is said [in Japanese or in English] expressing something other than the dominant narratives but those voices are rare and do not have much impact,” he says. Those alternative narratives include pornographic narratives and dystopian anime and manga. In a January 2015 article in BBC Magazine, journalist Mark Fletcher wrote a story about the child-porn manga craze in Japan. It is certainly not the narrative that the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to open during the 2020 Olympics, but when offbeat articles on Japan are written they tend to offer either extreme praise or condemnation to the topic of anime and manga. The last article about anime was published in the Guardian in 2009 offering an explanation for the hype of anime that was attributed to the ‘cuteness’ of the narratives. But articles like these are a natural consequence of Japan allowing manga and anime to be a part of their branding tactics, according to East Asian Studies professor of the University of Sheffield, Dr. Hugo Dobson. He says that there will be appealing sides of anime and manga, for example, the success and acclaim of animated movies by Japanese film director Hayao Miyazaki, that has made Japanese pop-culture more commonplace than before. Yet this side of the industry is what foreigners have idolized. Loyal anime fans would be more aware of the taboo side of the culture than those who may read Fletcher’s article. Dobson warns that this side of anime and manga may deter certain populations, like those in the UK, away from Japanese culture. This is especially crucial to Japan’s hosting of the 2020 Olympic games. Japan is known for its soft power peace diplomacy and technology-based image according to Yoshihiro. Although anime and manga are one aspect of Japanese culture it still has an impact. Both Yoshihiro and Dobson agree that anime and manga are a means of getting more young people interested in Japanese culture as a whole. For example, a fan of anime may be interested in learning the Japanese language to not only watch their shows before

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Global Affairs. Japan

REPORTAGE 1. KAWAII JAPAN 1

Photograph of the anime diplomatic mascot of Japan, Doreamon.

Bahja Norwood

REPORTING FROM London explains the implications of Kawaii (cute) Japan image used by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and how it is utilised by millenials and manga artists to understand Japanese culture making it a vital part of Japan for the 2020 Olympics.

they are dubbed in English. This may also encourage more young people to attend the 2020 Olympics. A majority of the over 2,000 attendees to the biannual London Anime and Gaming Convention are aged 18 to 25 says PR representative Rebecca Moriarty. This reflects the success of the initial goal to use anime and manga as a means to attract younger people to Japanese culture. She says that the purpose of the convention is to reach out to the anime community in the UK, but their other goal is to promote an understanding of Japanese culture overall. They are working with the Japan Foundation in London, an institution dedicated to teaching Japanese language and culture, to encourage anime fans to learn Japanese culture and language.

The success of cultural diplomacy is not black and white; in fact as Brown put it cultural diplomacy is a grey area. However itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doing something for the UK population and, with the 2020 Olympics taking place in Japan in five years the cultural image of Japan will become more crucial as the games come closer. Hobson says that there is a large fan-base for anime and manga among his students, but Japan is now entering the international stage as a host for one of the biggest events in the world. The darker side of anime and manga being reported, such as the article in the BBC Magazine, do not help to promote a good public image for Japan to put forward to those unfamiliar with Japanese popculture and traditional culture that is yet to be realized.

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Global Affairs. Japan

There’s an anime convention today, but you don’t know it yet. It doesn’t become a shocking reality when you’re on the Jubilee line being pushed against the doors by a large golden tail attached to a man in a pink skirt. You’re oblivious when you see a girl in a tight black corset and fishnets; then you become fully aware when you see a man wearing that same outfit only with a blue corset instead. Those sights you’re seeing are people, young and old, who have embraced a slice of Japanese pop-culture known as anime and manga. They are the ones who are not only cosplaying, where they dress up as their favorite character, but the ones who are clearly ready for what they’ll see during the summer 2020 Olympics in Japan. Japanese manga and anime have been around for over 100 years and they serve as Japan’s equivalent to comic franchises throughout the North America and Europe. It has become one of Japan’s top multibillion-dollar export-

Although it is a large industry it still receives minimal mainstream media attention with the Guardian’s last article on the topic being published in 2009 only to mainly focus on Japan’s economic efforts. Many academic sources however have been published on its success in Europe and North America referring to its phenomenal reach with the youth. It has been reaching these two continents, and the rest of the world, for over 50 years. London-based manga artist for the Judge Dredd comic series and, author of The Manga Bible and The Manga Jesus series Siku reflected on its impact on his life as a kid during the 1960s. He said that at the time he watched it a lot as a kid and had no idea what it was with the impression that it was just a ‘daytime cartoon’, but as he got older he said he understood it to be much more than that. He said that its resurgence in the west occurred in the late 1990s and that was what started to really grab people’s attention.

‘Anime is literally the base of my future’

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entertainment industries that brings in over USD $3.6bn annually. But it was not always like this; manga used to be a Japan-exclusive product until its reemergence during the Meiji period in 1868. Prior to that Japan and its cultural heritage held minimal contact with the rest of the world. Manga emerged in the 1600s during the Edo period and has served as not only a platform for entertainment, but it also reflects the ideology and history of Japan. Anime, short for animation, is a recent complimentary art to manga that first emerged in the early 1900s. Similar to how Marvel and DC comics are adapted into television shows and films anime serves as that medium for manga publications. To the delight of manga fans worldwide anime gives readers a chance to see their favorite books come to life in color because contrary to most American and European comics manga comics are strictly published in black and white with color-saturated covers and chapter pages. 7

It was this resurgence that created a new understanding of Japan and what it meant to be Japanese. Loyal Japanese pop-culture fan and Japanese Culture Major Johnathan Barley-Alexander, 20, from Delaware in the United States (US) said that young people can learn a lot about Japanese culture and different cultural aspects. Siku sites examples of this seen in Ghost in the Shell and Astro Boy. Both he and Barley-Alexander note that the styles of the characters serve as a means to not only understand the actors of a particular story, but to understand the Japanese identity as well. This is because manga and anime educates its fans on certain social and cultural issues either intentionally or indirectly with subtle customs being noted by loyal fans if Japanese pop-culture is consumed over a period of time. Such an example was explained by Temple University Japan (TUJ) student Shynell Devaux, 20, from London, who

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1 Previous Spread: 1. Anime fans coslaying as characters from the anime series Naruto, a popular series in the UK and the US. 2. Two fans are cosplayng as two of the lead characters in the anime series Free!. This Spread: 1. More than 2,000 people from different parts of the world attend the anime conventon in Chicago every year. 2.The character designs in anime give obvious ques as to what the character is feeling with knots for anger, lines for awkwardness or saddness, and simplification of the character design to show rage.

said that she learned about the mannerisms and etiquette about eating and showing gratitude from anime and films. Despite the extreme character designs like pink hair and exaggerated breasts and outfits the practices of traditional Japanese social and language etiquette is very accurate. With an international reach this can educate those outside of Japan on its culture and encourage fans to learn more about Japan. This reach has separated manga from the traditional comic book found the in the west because of its different narrative structure and overall embedded voices. From his interpretation and understanding Siku argues that generally comic books in the US reflect a utopia that was achieved in the 1950s. This can be seen in America’s Superman: “He is the American tale. He is Kanas’ ‘Mr. Midwest’”. But there is a deeper meaning to the narratives in anime and manga. Siku says that there is an apocalyptic theme to the artwork and stories. Temple University’s East Asian Studies Professor, Dr. John Mock argues as well that the narratives that may be portrayed in the media do not reflect the true identity of Japan. It does not reflect the ‘cute Japan’ narrative supported by Japan’s Ministry 2

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1. Dr. Martin Bown of Richmond, the American International University in London. 2. TUJ Student Georgia Bentley went to Japan when she was younger to visit her uncle and his Japanese wife and had been interested in Japan ever since. 3. Britain-based manga artist, Siku, worked on numerous comic publications in Britain citing his style as ‘rude’ manga with a British flare. 4. Anime characters from the show Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure where the characters have masculine eyes. 5. Characters with feminine eyes from various anime series taken at Anime Japan 2014.

of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) that was introduced in 2007 and that will be displayed at the 2020 Olympics in Japan. There are mixed stories being conveyed and even anime portrays Japan in a particular way. Sometimes though certain anime challenge those dominant ideas and those perceptions are also seen in the manga and anime which give mixed perceptions about Japan. However foreign audiences mainly receive these positive narratives of ‘cute’ Japan. The artwork itself also presents a unique take on how the Japanese view themselves and foreigners adds to the appeal of anime and manga. The eyes are a heavy indicator to the type of character: large eyes, a westernized feature, depict innocence and tend to be on women and children while narrow eyes portray a sinister intent or masculinity. Manga and anime have also been affected by foreign artwork. Siku noted what he called the ‘naivety’ in the

design of the characters that’s similar to Disney’s 1940s Mickey Mouse. However there is a darker side of Japan’s anime and manga scene that the MOFA struggles to hide from foreign eyes. There was a recent example in the BBC Magazine in January where Tokyo correspondent Mark Fletcher reported on Lolita manga and anime in Japan. This could challenge Japan’s national brand promoted under cultural diplomacy however it is indeed a face of the manga and anime culture that the MOFA sought to promote. Mock says that during the Olympics there will be the narrative of ‘cute Japan’ as well as a Japan that has a successful infrastructure and economy. However he warns that the Olympics may reveal the true side of Japan. The narratives of Japan represented in anime and manga are the true feelings of Japan and if it’s searched for in the 10

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‘I had memorised the basic phrases before my arrival such as “please”, “thank you” and “excuse me”’

Artist-drawn image of the manga series Blood Lad. Every year at the anime convention called ACen in Chicago a new cover is drawn on the floor.

country it will be found. The ideal face of Japan that will be promoted by the MOFA is the idea of a ‘cute’ Japan. This mold complements Japan’s overall brand of technological advancements and the strong emphasis in traditional culture such as the Japanese tea ceremony and calligraphy. This balance is what the MOFA seeks to achieve if they are to successfully host the 2020 Olympics and represent themselves justly to foreign audiences who may not know much about Japan. This is why they sought to implement anime and manga into their cultural diplomacy so that they can regulate the image of Japan. However instances like the one reported by Fletcher may resurface and pop-culture enthusiasts will seek them out; this may make the MOFA’s efforts difficult. Prior to the MOFA’s 2007 initiative anime and manga had already been reaching the masses. In 2001 an academic piece was published and briefly discussed the various

genres of manga including hentai, the word for Japanese porn. Like Fletcher’s revelations this article exposed the darker side of ‘cute Japan’ with examples of tentacle porn. Despite these revelations loyal fans anime and manga will continue to consume the different genres and now with the accessibility of the internet they are indirectly aiding Japan’s cultural diplomacy efforts. This is due to the fact that despite the lack of publishing in North America and Europe anime and manga consumers have begun to utilize the internet as a means to spread of translated anime and manga via Scanslation and Fan-subbing. Scanslation is a term coined by anime and manga fans that means to take manga in its original Japanese language format and translate it into a different language and then upload that version onto the internet for free. Many of these ‘scanslations’ are translated into English, but other 12

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languages are also available and it is a very large part of that Japan’s anime and manga diplomacy has helped the anime and manga world; but it is considered an illegal influence their decision to study abroad. practice in the eyes of UK and US publishing laws. Barley-Alexander cites manga and anime culture as Likewise there is the practice of Fan-subbing which the direct factor that influenced his decision to study in is the televised version of scanslation. Here anime and Japan and learn more about Japanese culture. He now has manga fans translated the episodes of anime aired on a full-time internship working in Japan Teaching children Japanese television into English and other languages. English. He said that it started when he was a kid watching These two practices are the ways that anime and manga Dragon Ball-Z on Cartoon Network that really got him fans outside of Japan continue to enjoy this form of interested. From there he started watching anime online Japanese culture, and the way Japan’s MOFA gains easy on free anime sites with fan-subbing. Finally at one point access to foreign audiences. he decided that he was going to try and learn the language Although there are many fans of manga and anime a lot after picking up a few key phrases and expressions from of the material does not make it into western publishers. A watching so much anime and hearing the Japanese lack of fan-base awareness makes it difficult for publishers language repeatedly with reinforced learning from the to gage the types of manga people want to read and fans English subtitles. He tried watching anime without the seek to use scanslation as a means to allow other fans to subtitles and by this point he was at a high school age able to read the new works being made in Japan. Through this it is take Japanese language classes to learn the language properly. hoped that the publishers will be more willing to publish a ‘Anime is literally the base of my future,’ he said confidently. particular series because of so much interest. Similar to Barley-Alexander’s case Devaux said that The positive perceptions that these fans have of she was influenced and educated by manga and anime to Japan is what the MOFA seeks to cement in the eyes of its pursue an education in Tokyo, Japan. She said that J-pop fellow nations prior, during and after the 2020 Olympics. and J-rock made her appreciate the sound of the Japanese However the main criticism of cultural diplomacy is the language it was the anime and manga that taught her some effectiveness of its output towards foreign audiences. of the basics of Japanese culture such as ways of showing Associate Professor of International History of Richmond, gratitude and politeness. the American International University in London Dr. “I had memorized a basic phrases before my arrival Martin Brown states that its effectiveness can range such as ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘excuse me?’, which I know from no impact to a substantial impact on a population’s now can all be the same word,” Devaux laughed. She’s perception of a country. been living in Japan for a year and four months and looks Regarding the unfavorable narratives Mock states forward to continuing her studies in Japan where she that they will be neither visible nor mentioned in the said that she can picture herself living in. “It seemed so Olympic ceremony which is what Brown says is Japan’s different but yet so similar to England,” Devaux said. place, as well as any host country’s place, to demonstrate Despite this reach of pop-culture Japan’s traditional its national brand. Mock is certain that pornographic and Japanese culture proves to be effective as well. For some the apocalyptic narratives that Siku described will remain of the TUJ students it was the traditional Japanese culture and hidden form the international public at the ceremony, and language that drew some western students to Japan. Temple that those interested will continue to seek those out. Students Georgia Brantley, 21, and Alexis Fornes, 23, from This diversity in tourism makes it impossible to the US said that their beginnings in Japanese culture began measure and gage the effects of Japan’s cultural diplomacy with the traditional culture as well as some family members efforts. However testimonies from a few students studying already being Japanese. Brantley said that she wanted to learn in Japan at Temple University’s Japan Campus showed Japanese in order to communicate with her Japanese aunt. 13

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There is an apocalypitc theme to the artwork and stories. It does not reflect the ‘cute’ Japan narrative From the students above it would appear that Japan’s cultural diplomacy efforts are succeeding. Two of these students cited anime and manga as their reason for moving to Japan to study and work. While the goal of cultural diplomacy is not to increase the number of immigrants into Japan, its reach and influence proves effective in encouraging young people to look at Japan in a positive light and get a better understanding of its culture. Similarly the effects of scanslators and fan-subbers support the positive aims of anime and manga as a means of cultural diplomacy. If not for the internet and the passion to learn the Japanese language these fans would practically have no access to the latest content. Even at the anime and manga conventions in North American and Europe those works took years to get published. There tends to be a three to four month gap in the manga that is published in Japan and that which is released in countries like the UK or US. Therefore, the illegal way is the only reasonable way for manga and anime fans to get their products. Manga and anime’s diverse range of topics has appealed to many people outside of Japan and it has educated and promoted the Japanese culture both in its language and in the traditional culture that its government promotes as a part of its cultural diplomacy efforts. With the MOFA utilizing anime and manga as part of Japan’s cultural diplomacy brand it will now be viewed as one of their many brands that will be seen in the 2020 summer Olympics where Japan will once again host the event. There’s a lot of Japanese identity to the anime and manga culture and according to Siku it gives foreign consumers a chance to go into the Japanese state of mind. It will become very important in the public sphere beyond those loyal Pokémon fans waiting in line at the convention center since ‘cute Japan’ will be clearly visible during the Olympics. Currently the identity of Japan is being embraced by many millennials and it is becoming more than just a fad. More and more people are becoming more aware of Japan’s actions despite its political efforts to remain invisible with minimal international input. However Japan cannot hide forever and its recent encounter with ISIS put it in the international spotlight in an unflattering manner 15

with the execution of two of its citizens. Anime and manga are the same way. The MOFA cannot hide all of Japan’s flaws with pop-culture and traditional culture and according to Mock Japan’s economic reputation may backfire during its hosting of the 2020 Olympics where Japan’s infrastructure may be exposed as weaker than what it has projected to the rest of the world. He said that the event host plans were recently changed from being hosted in Tokyo alone with newly-designed facilities to being scattered throughout the east coast of Japan at existing facilities. Already the narratives projected by the MOFA cultural diplomacy, and anime and manga in general, of a strongly technologically advanced and modern nation are being challenged. So as the anime and manga fans continue to scanslate, fan-sub and cosplay their favorite characters that reflects Japan in a positive and culturally diverse light, the hosting of Japan’s 2020 Olympics will also reflect the narratives of Japan that are seen in the mainstream media. However there are mixed stories being conveyed and even anime portrays Japan in a particular way. Sometimes through certain genres, like hentai, the dominant idea of ‘cute’ Japan and those perceptions are also seen in the manga and anime which can give mixed perceptions about Japan. Mixed perceptions will be received by Olympic visitors unfamiliar with Japan’s anime and manga industry and whose first impression comes from sources like Fletcher’s article. Traditional culture will continue to remain a dominant narrative of Japan, but young people may sway that dominance to pop-culture if individuals like Siku, Devaux and Barley-Alexander establish anime and manga as their reason for getting involved in Japanese cultural affairs. Traditional culture is still embedded into Japan’s pop-culture; however it allowed these students to engage with the culture in a more active and youthful way that traditional Japanese culture does not allow. According to Siku this makes manga and anime its gift to the world and for the MOFA of Japan this gift of ‘cute’ Japan may be an act in the performance of national identity seen during the opening ceremony at the 2020 Olympics. After all, the first word when Japan comes to mind is kawaii (cute).

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