‘Storytellers’ Being Dispatched Overseas to Promote Japan; Events Planned in More Than 20 Countries

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:16 JST, February 22, 2026

The Foreign Ministry has launched an initiative to dispatch “storytellers” overseas to convey the appeal and history of Japanese culture, including traditional performing arts and anime.

With China focusing on cultural outreach to expand its influence, Japan’s initiative is aimed to strengthen this nation’s diplomatic capabilities by increasing the number of people who understand Japan. The program began on Jan. 17 with a Tsugaru shamisen event in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Under the initiative, the ministry plans to hold such events in more than 20 countries by the end of March. People involved in traditional performing arts, such as tea ceremony practitioners and shamisen players, as well as professionals in manga, anime and other globally popular genres of Japanese pop culture will talk about topics including the philosophies and concepts behind these cultural forms.

For example, the dispatched storytellers will explain that the tea ceremony is not just the act of drinking tea but has been developed together with tea utensils. In an event on Tsugaru shamisen, participants will learn about the meaning embedded in the music while listening to the musical instrument.

Japanese embassies have traditionally hosted cultural events and engaged in other overseas activities. However, as China has used cultural diplomacy to undermine other countries’ reputations, the ministry decided to send out storytellers with the aim of creating an environment that will make it easier for Japan’s positions and policies to be accepted abroad.