All things Japanese children's TV viewing and spending on imported cultural goods in Taiwan

Abstract

The television industry in Taiwan has undergone major reforms since the 1990s. Once the TV market was fully opened in 1992, the local TV stations began importing a tremendous number of programmes from Japan. Many popular culture icons and merchandise were imported under the new era of the global capital economic system. Japanese animation, comic books, video games, and music were not only meant to construct a cute mass‐merchandise image but also created an image alliance to increase young people's consuming desires. The central premise of this paper is to examine whether exposure to and preference for Japanese animated programmes results in a preference for and purchasing of Japanese animation‐related commodities. The findings demonstrate that a preference for Japanese animation substantially affects individuals’ desires to buy cartoon‐related goods and good opinions about Japan in general.