Japan to Strengthen Cultural Diplomacy with Emerging Nations By Sending Experts in Japanese Music, Language Abroad

The Yomiuri Shimbun

1:00 JST, October 17, 2025

Japan will increase the dissemination of Japanese culture to emerging and developing nations starting next fiscal year. The Foreign Ministry aims to increase fans of Japanese culture, considering China’s growing influence through enhancing its cultural diplomacy.

The ministry has allocated ¥46.1 billion for related expenses in its preliminary budget request for fiscal 2026, an increase of ¥11.2 billion from fiscal 2025. Japan will dispatch experts in wadaiko Japanese drumming and rakugo comic storytelling, as well as singers of anime songs to overseas diplomatic missions. Approximately 30 events inviting political and business leaders will be held. Experts in training Japanese language teachers will also be dispatched to promote Japanese language education.

The ministry also plans to invigorate the activities of the Japan Foundation, an independent administrative agency promoting Japanese culture. Japanese educational books and picture books will be exhibited at overseas book fairs, and related pamphlets and videos will be produced. Exhibitions on manga and anime, as well as screenings of Japanese films, are also planned.

As of January this year, the Japan Foundation has 26 overseas bases. The number is significantly lower than the 573 Confucius Institutes established by the Chinese government to spread Chinese culture, or the 252 Korean language institutes of the King Sejong Institute Foundation officially recognized by the South Korean government.

Cultural diplomacy could also be used to undermine other countries’ reputations. At a book fair held in the United Kingdom this March, China introduced a book emphasizing the suffering inflicted on China by the Imperial Japanese military during World War II.