Cool, warm, soft and sharp: paradigms of cultural exchange in Japan–China relations

ABSTRACT

In the post-war period, relations between Japan and China have veered between cold and warm. For most of this period, due to historical and ideological issues, there has been an underlying tension which has prevented genuinely friendly relations and open cultural exchange between the two states. However, there have been periods of time when more open cultural exchanges and free information flows have occurred, and when genuinely friendly and cooperative relations have seemed possible. This article first proposes a model of cultural exchange based on types of information flow between countries. It then reviews zero-sum and non-zero sum theoretical perspectives on cultural exchange. Using these ideas, the article then uses several paradigms to characterise cultural exchange in Japan–China relations, namely people to people, partnership, reciprocity, soft power and sharp power paradigms, from the post-war era up to current times.

KEYWORDS:

• Cultural exchange
• soft power
• Japan
• China
• international relations

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Author’s interviews with Japan Foundation Beijing officials.

2. It is worth mentioning at this point the current coronavirus outbreak which has emanated from China. The impact of the SARS virus in 2002 showed that tourism and other exchanges were affected in a short-term manner, but at this time the Japanese government (Takahashi 2020) and other actors have been taking the opportunity to project goodwill and support to China and the soft power benefit may have a longer-term effect, especially as it seems to be being noticed by the general Chinese populace (Japan Times 2020; Global Times 2020).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Utpal Vyas

Utpal Vyas is Associate Professor (International Relations and Political Economy) at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan. He obtained his PhD at the University of Sheffield, and he is the author of Soft Power in Japan-China Relations: State, Sub-state and Non-state Relations (Routledge, 2010), co-editor of The North Korea Crisis and Regional Responses, (East-West Center, 2015) and co-editor of Regional Institutions, Geopolitics and Economics in the Asia Pacific (Routledge, 2017). His current main research interests are in Japan and China’s international relations and political economy, regionalism and populism in Asia and Europe, and UK-Japan relations.Contact: [email protected]