The Japanese government has revealed a draft of the new “Cool Japan Strategy”. which will be updated for the first time in five years. This new strategy aims to position anime and video games as key sectors and strengthen their promotion overseas. Despite previous failures in government efforts, there is uncertainty about whether this new strategy will achieve successful results.

The final decision will be made soon at the government's intellectual property strategy headquarters. The draft highlights the global expansion of video streaming services and the rise in popularity of Japanese animeas well as the increase in tourists following the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that “the time has come to relaunch Cool Japan”.

With the shrinking domestic population in mind, the draft emphasizes the importance of international expansion of content such as anime and video games.as well as agricultural, forestry, fishing and food products, and the growth of international tourism as crucial sources of foreign exchange earnings.

The content sector is a special priority. By 2022, the scale of this industry's overseas expansion reached 4.7 trillion yen, comparable to industries such as steel (5.1 trillion yen) and semiconductors (5.7 trillion yen). The new plan aims to quadruple that number by 2033, reaching 20 trillion yen.

To achieve these goals, measures will be implemented such as strengthening the fight against piracy, supporting young creators and improving research and analysis of local needs in foreign markets.

Why did “Cool Japan” fail the first time it was implemented?

The initial Cool Japan initiative was proposed by the Japanese government in 2010, under the administration of then Prime Minister Naoto Kan. The aim was to promote Japanese culture abroad, including anime, manga, video games, fashion and food, with the intention of improving the country's image and stimulating the economy through the export of its cultural products.

Reasons for Cool Japan's initial failure:

• Lack of coordination and strategy: One of the main problems was the lack of a coherent and coordinated strategy. There were scattered and poorly organized efforts among the different government agencies and private companies involved.
• Insufficient knowledge of foreign markets: The initiative failed to adequately understand consumer preferences and demands in foreign markets. Market research was not conducted in sufficient detail to adapt products and marketing strategies to local tastes.
• Bureaucracy and rigidity: Excessive bureaucracy and a lack of government flexibility made it difficult to implement effective and rapid measures. Slow decision-making and the inability to quickly adapt to changes in the global market negatively affected the initiative.
• Lack of support for local creators: Although the initiative aimed to promote Japanese culture, it did not provide enough support for local creators to compete internationally. This included a lack of funding, training and resources for young talent.
• Inefficient investment: The funds allocated to the initiative were not always used efficiently. There were projects that did not generate the expected impact, and some funds were spent on activities that did not contribute significantly to Cool Japan's goals.

Source: The Asahi Shimbun