Over the last month we have been exploring different ideas that we believe could make Japan current again in terms of how it brands itself abroad in response to the government’s failed “Cool Japan” campaign. In our final part of the series we sum up how with a change in communication strategy Japan could reap the rewards and spur on a renewed interest from the West.
Image courtesy Ryan Staake
We are already at the breaking point – as Fukushima and other crises have shown, the financial and reputational damage recently suffered by many of Japan’s leading institutions can be mitigated only by applying the core values of fully-empowered public relations. What signals Japan emits through their PR to the West should be the start of a conversation that piques peoples’ interest and prompts them to explore further and discover for themselves the unique and outstanding offerings the country has. Not, as it does currently, to provoke deriding laughter normally reserved for the eccentric kid in class with crazy ideas. Engaging the public’s interest is never easy, but we have tried to show in this series that by focusing on significant, worthwhile subjects— like design, architecture, fashion and technology—we at least stand a chance to spark a conversation that starts people exploring.
Read the full final installment in the five part series here on our global blog. As ever we appreciate all feedback that you may have on this post and the full series, so feel free to get in touch with other ideas on what you think Cool Japan should be about, or how the country can rebrand itself in the new year.
Explore the full series:
Uncovering the Real Cool Japan – Part One
Uncovering the Real Cool Japan – Part Two
Uncovering the Real Cool Japan – Part Three
Uncovering the Real Cool Japan – Part Four
Darrell is a native of the U.K. and has been in Japan since 2002. He consults on innovation and strategy at the 
“…the government’s failed ‘Cool Japan’ campaign”.
Has it failed? I thought the government was doing a good job of pushing Japanese pop culture in particular as ‘cool’, for better or worse.
And certainly there is no shortage of blogs, magazines, movies et al that suck up all the manga, anime, modern design, and art and so on as “cool” and sophisticated. A lot may be indirect and not caused by government PR campaigns, but can we say that “Cool Japan” has failed?
Maybe Japan’s star might be fading but any glance at Monocle or major blogs will show that people all look to Tokyo for content, often in fact picking up fairly mediocre stuff.
“Cool Japan” thus far has been a failure primarily because the future of Japanese business is not manga and gothic lolita costumes or maid cafes. They focused on the easy stuff that gets attention because it’s weird, but not the quality stuff that can build a positive image for Japan in the longterm.