Anime Become Japan's Soft Power Media In Spreading Its Cultural Diplomacy

Unique anime character, anime displays a storyline that is similar to stories that are experienced in real people's lives, although sometimes many are seen as unrealistic. Anime adopts a unique title so that it becomes something new for the world of entertainment. 

Anime has its own characteristics when compared to other animations or cartoons from various parts of the world. There are many things that are interesting about the first anime: the depiction of unique characters. 

The characters are depicted in detail including their expressions and an exploration of the character's backgrounds. Popular culture is a form of art created primarily for audience appeal (Williams, 1983).

There are many genre choices in anime that can be chosen by various ages. Anime has many genres so it becomes a good selling point for fans. With a variety of genres, the audience can choose according to the genre they like.

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History of Anime

Shimokawa Bokoten's initial animation experiments mark the beginning of Japanese animation work. In 1913, Kitayama Seitaro and Koichi Junichi. Then came a 1917 short film by Oten Shimokawa called Imokawa Mukuzo Genkanban no Maki, which was only a few minutes long. 

Only the 5-minute animation sans sound took Shimokawa six months to complete at the time. Shimokawa's work was later followed by Seitaro Kitayama's 1918 anime Saru Kani Kassen and Momotaro, which was produced for the movie studio Nihon Katsudo Shashin (Nikkatsu). 

At that time, Sarugashima (1930) and Kaizoku-bune, the first anime to have a sequel, were released (1931). In 1927, the United States succeeded in creating an animated film with sound, although only using background music. 

American NBC, which also broadcasts the adaptation of the Tetsuwan Atom series with the title Astro Boy and gets good ratings there, is willing to provide funds. 

NBC then asked Tezuka for new episodes, especially the color ones, to encourage potential United States audiences and they were also willing to finance Mushi Pro, Tezuka's animation studio, In 1979, Mobile Suit Gundam was released by Sunrise, the studio founded by one of the former Mushi Pro staff. 

Before Bandai purchased the product rights and began making Gundam action figures, the show wasn't very well-liked. 

Since then, there have been over 70 Gundam series, special editions, and anime movies produced, along with the sale of countless Gundam action figures. Meanwhile, Nippon TV decided to release Doraemon in 1973. 

This version of the series initially ended with a small number of episodes, but it was aired again in 1979 by Shin Ei Animation which stopped at 1,787 episodes in March 2005, and aired again a month than with new Shin-Ei continues to generate artwork and voice performers up until this point. 

80s era beginning, anime is increasingly popular, and more and more film producers are trying to fulfill people's wishes. 

This growth is further supported by the emergence of video cassettes as media. With VCR technology, people can get their favorite anime in video form. 

This is what then prompted the emergence of a video version of an anime that is sold directly to the public without having to air it on television first. 

It was during this era that adult anime began to emerge. One of the works that were booming at that time was Akira which was the work of Katsuhiro Otomo in 1988. 

Even though in the domestic sphere Akira did not become a film worthy of being called a box office, outside of Japan Akira brought the popularity of anime and became a breakthrough both in terms of animation techniques and story content. 

This his animation raises the environmental theme in a fantastical setting and is supported by World Wide Fund for Nature. Another of Miyazaki's works is Kiki's. Delivery Service in 1989, not only achieved huge commercial profits but also marked the beginning of Studio Ghibli's collaboration with Walt Disney, who has since distributed Ghibli-produced animations under the auspices of Buena Vista entertainment.

" Historical themes were also adopted by Japanese animators.  Keiji Nakazawa raised the theme of the victims of Hiroshima with an anime titled Hadashi no Gen which aired in 1983 directed by Masaki Mori. One of the other famous anime with a similar theme is Hotaru no Haka (Grave of the Fireflies). 

With the emergence of anime with complex and deep themes, anime is no longer considered animated cinema which is specifically for children only and has become a spectacle for various age levels of viewers. 

Entering the 1990s, many intellectually interesting anime emerged, such as the TV series that was considered provocative, namely Hideki Anno's Neon Genesis Evangelion because it featured religious elements and symbols. 

in 1995, Ghost in the Shell was released and received much criticism for its heavy philosophical depth and visuals which are a blend of cel animation techniques with the computer. 

Since the 90s, anime has spread widely outside of Japan. And entering the 21st century, anime is increasingly proving its quality by winning various international awards. Studio Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki started donating.

How Japan Markets Anime

Anime has topped the animation world for the last three decades or so. More than 60% of the cartoons broadcast worldwide are Japanese productions. 

This is inseparable from the quality offered by the anime itself. Not only focusing on the story, goals, and characteristics of the anime that will be shown, but also paying attention to the means of dissemination so that the anime can go global and can attract more fans from outside Japan. 

Because logically, no matter how interesting anime is, no matter how many types of anime are broadcast, it will not be able to attract many fans from abroad if the scope of distribution is not that wide, or in other words, it is difficult to consume. 

Even for that the Japanese government and the producers of the anime being distributed are not very strict and are not too concerned about the free dissemination of anime through fansub or anime translation sites on the internet, regardless of whether it is illegal or not, because this is an international publication for free, moreover subtitles have been added. 

Anime that has entered countries other than Japan can be modified by distributors in the country concerned regarding language and censorship in the anime. 

Not infrequently anime also undergoes an editing process in the country where it is broadcast due to the different values and culture of that country and what is adhered to in Japan. 

Actors in the cultural diplomacy that is run by Japan are classified as non-government or non-government. 

The popularity of anime on the international stage is the result of the work and creativity of individual Japanese illustrators and animators, which is the result of the development and increasing popularity that has given positive feedback to this country. 

The affected targets are not from circles or government agencies, but from the public or society, especially young people. In addition, the broadcast of this anime itself is sponsored and under the auspices of an animation screening institution in Japan so in this case, the actor involved is not the state or the government (Warsito & Kartikasari, 2007).

The Impact of the Success of Japanese Strategic Diplomacy

It is entirely legitimate to applaud Japan's plan for implementing and maximizing its cultural values in diplomatic relation. 

This reason is popularity of this anime has made many foreign people interested in Japanese culture so it affects increased the number of foreign tourists, especially in the period 2012 to 2017. 

The Japanese government makes anime one of its foreign policy instruments or commonly called the Cool Japan Strategy because this anime Japan succeeded in forming a positive impression on the international scene (Firman, 2014). 

The success of the strategy taken by Japan to increase the number of tourists shows that Japanese culture can be accepted by people from other countries. 

As said by Joseph Nye who stated that the power can be in presenting cultural values in cultural diplomacy and attracting a positive public impression so that it can gain support and influence the foreign public towards its foreign policy, Japan can be said to have achieved its national interests in various sectors. 

The reason is that with the presence of this anime, Japan has succeeded in increasing the economic, tourism, and education sectors, as well as attracting foreign relations with other countries, one of which is Indonesia. The presence of this anime has had a big impact on the Japanese government. 

Even though anime is only limited to digital animation, this spreads to the economic sector because there are many arts and other masterpieces that are born from anime. 

such as the many accessories and clothing products with character nuances in Anime, so the variety of Japanese market products is increasingly broad (Erwindo, 2018). 

In addition, with the high public interest in anime, many anime lovers' communities have emerged in various parts of the world so it's not surprising that this high sense of interest has made anime lovers visit the country of Sakura where anime originates (Aulia, 2012). This is what triggers the high number of foreign tourists visiting Japan. 

Many anime lovers have emerged in various parts of the world so it is not surprising that a high sense of interest has made anime lovers visit the country of Sakura where the anime originates (Aulia, 2012). 

This is what triggers the high number of foreign tourists visiting Japan. Many anime lovers have emerged in various parts of the world so it is not surprising that a high sense of interest has made anime lovers visit the country of Sakura where the anime originates (Aulia, 2012). This is what triggers the high number of foreign tourists visiting Japan.

History and Development of Anime in Indonesia

The entry of anime into Indonesia began with the mass broadcast of anime series on various Indonesian television stations. Even now, animation shows in Indonesia are still dominated by anime shows. 

The growing sophistication of technology, particularly in terms of convenient access to the internet anywhere and anytime, only serves to exacerbate this issue. Things relating to anime can spread swiftly because it takes only a few seconds to find all kinds of information. 

Through its internet, animation can be circulated freely and consumers are usually teenagers to adults. 

Due to the high public interest in anime, Special sites have started to appear that provide online anime screenings complete with Indonesian subtitles and viewers can download whatever anime they want from the first episode to the last so they can watch it anytime and anywhere. The number of anime series produced to date has reached thousands. 

According to a survey quoted from Encyclopedia Japan, more than 6,000 anime titles were produced, and more than 3,200 anime titles were shown on television. 

According to some figures, Japan produces around 60% of the animation aired worldwide. 

For now, the development of anime in Indonesia is growing bigger and more endemic, the emergence of a fanbase of anime lovers, Japanese-themed events, and anime festivals on campuses, indicates Japan's success in choosing targets, this can be proven by its fans, which are commonly called Otaku, but in Indonesian society, it is better known as Wibu. 

One group that has views on popular culture is the feminist group, they see popular culture as a criminal and a source of enjoyment. This can be proven by more than 85,000 people starting to study the Japanese language, Japanese culture, and even the daily activities of Japanese people. 

According to research conducted by the Japan Foundation, Indonesia is the second country with the most people studying Japanese. One group that has views on popular culture is the feminist group, they see popular culture as a criminal and a source of enjoyment. 

This can be proven by more than 85,000 people starting to study the Japanese language, Japanese culture, and even the daily activities of Japanese people. 

According to research conducted by the Japan Foundation, Indonesia is the second country with the most people studying Japanese. 

One group that has views on popular culture is the feminist group, they see popular culture as a criminal and a source of enjoyment.

 This can be proven by more than 85,000 people starting to study the Japanese language, Japanese culture, and even the daily activities of Japanese people. 

According to research conducted by the Japan Foundation, Indonesia is the second country with the most people studying Japanese.

Japanese animators have used anime throughout its history to introduce audiences to a variety of story ideas and subjects, from those geared toward children and teenagers to adults.

Countries That Collaborate With Japan in the Field of Anime

Regarding the introduction of anime in Indonesia, 30 nations have worked with Japan. According to the aforementioned graph, China has 355 contracts, followed by Korea with 308 contracts, as the nation having the most with the Japanese anime sector.

 With 55 contracts and 48 contracts respectively, Luxembourg and Malta have the fewest agreements with Japan.

The average broadcast time across nations is another indicator of anime's popularity. The enjoyment of anime by children and young people is also monitored throughout this broadcast time.

Anime and manga are not the most popular in China, despite the fact that China has the most contracts with the Japanese anime sector. The Philippines, Indonesia, Peru, and Malaysia are just a few examples of developing nations that are fans of anime and manga.

to develop their sector, advanced students should instead study anime and manga (Hiromichi, 2017). Asia, particularly Southeast Asia, and South America are two regions that enjoy anime or manga.

In the implementation of modern diplomatic practices, we often see diplomatic practices that use official state channels. Louise Diamond and John McDonald then put forward a concept called Multi-track diplomacy.

In simple terms, a Multi-track diplomacy is a tool or pathway for countries to be able to carry out their diplomatic practices.

Multi-track diplomacy also has nine different tracks or paths, namely, first through government, second through non-governmental organizations, third through business, fourth through civil society, fifth through research and education, sixth through activism by organizations, seventh through religious channels, eighth with funding, and ninth through communication media.

However, in the application of this research, only 3 tracks are used, including: (Louise Diamond and John McDonald, 1999).

a. The diplomatic route via commerce. This route uses the economy as a tool for diplomacy, moving from big businesses like multinational corporations to small businesses. The benefit of this approach is that a high degree of economic dependency can result in successful diplomatic practices because neither party wants to harm their economy, as in the case of Japan and Indonesia's cultural exchange programs.

b. Diplomacy's route through civil society. This route enables people to participate in diplomatic operations. There are four ways to conduct out diplomacy using this path. The first method is citizen diplomacy or exchange programs. The second is by means of personal volunteer development initiatives or groups. Advocacy or niche organizations are the third method. Professional interest groups are the fourth strategy. One of them is the Anime Festival Asia (AFA) initiative, which plans an event for young teenagers who are interested in Japanese pop culture.