Word: japanize
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...Foreign interest in learning Japanese is stronger today than it was in the so-called bubble years when Japan's economy was a more dominating force. In 2006, nearly 3 million people worldwide studied Japanese as a foreign language, triple the number who did in 1990, according to government statistics. "Foreigners used to learn Japanese for career reasons," says Tsutomu Sugiura, an adviser for the Marubeni Research Institute in Tokyo. "But today they learn because they are interested in Japanese culture." To help spread Japanese, the Japan Foundation, the nation's rough equivalent to the British Council or Germany...
...many Japanese-language students had their druthers, they'd probably want a pair of cool cats to helm their classes. In May, Japan designated Hello Kitty as a tourism ambassador, two months after Doraemon, the aqua-hued robot feline, was named the nation's first cartoon envoy. The designation of these two cat representatives symbolizes just how much Japan's overseas reputation is tied to pop culture. That's a connection that surely pleases Japan's new Prime Minister Taro Aso. The 68-year-old premier, who is a self-confessed manga addict, has called for Japan to pursue what...
...Although he has barely had time to articulate his leadership priorities, Aso appears committed to burnishing Japan's global influence. Over the past decade, the nation's foreign-aid budget has nosedived. In the early 1990s, flush with cash from its long boom, Japan was the world's largest donor. Now, it's fifth. Aso might reverse the trend. In August, Japan's Foreign Ministry requested a 13.6% increase in next year's foreign-aid budget. In October, Aso made headlines when he signed off on a record $4.5 billion loan to India. That commitment followed on the heels...
...Foreign aid, of course, isn't an altruistic enterprise. When Japan promises money for, say, a road in Africa, Japanese companies tend to profit from the lucrative contracts. But Japanese aid is about more than just helping Japanese businesses. Just as some in American foreign-policy circles believe that the U.S. has a mission to spread democracy around the globe, an increasing number of Japanese are keen to seed the world with their ideals. One key principle is an ability to modernize without losing its roots. "The history of Japan in modern times," says Kazuo Ogoura, president of the Japan...
...Giving Something Back But Japan is about more than just thinking green. Despite a stagnant economy, life in Japan is still remarkably good. No wonder, then, that some Japanese are turning inward, cozy in their temperature-controlled bubble of convenience stores and well-designed boutiques. Glen Fukushima, a former head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, laments how, in international forums, Japanese tend to know a lot but are often unwilling to actually express themselves. Nevertheless, a sizable contingent of Japanese, who grew up in the era of globalization, see it as their homeland's responsibility to engage...