In the realm of international relations, diplomacy is an important instrument that enables the achievement of national interests. Culture now has an important role in diplomacy because it is used as a tool to carry out soft power diplomacy activities. The use of soft power in this era is very reliable, because the actors who play a role are no longer just states in global politics, but there are other new actors that have emerged. Thus, in soft power power becomes more persuasive than coercive. The concept of power shifts from the use of hard power to the use of soft power.
Japan itself seeks to promote its cultural influence to the international community through this soft power. So that makes Japan conduct cultural diplomacy through idol groups as non-government actors.
Indonesia as an archipelago that stretches from Sabang to Merauke is a country rich in culture. Indonesia is a country consisting of a variety of tribes that produce a variety of different cultures. Indonesian culture has various categories consisting of musical instruments, dances, languages, customs, and so on. With the large number of Indonesian cultural diversity, it can be said that Indonesia is a country that has a high level of heterogeneity.
But unlike Japan, in Indonesia the term idol group was first recognized in 2011. In Indonesian, idol is referred to as idol, which means to be worshiped or to be idolized, whether it is in the form of objects or humans, both can become idols for an individual.
Popular culture is a modern Japanese culture that arises because of the times. In this development, Japan made its expansion by forming Japanese girl band idols, especially in Indonesia. The formation of this idol group is through the representation of idol groups from their home country Japan, namely AKB48.
The term idol group in Indonesia is synonymous with the JKT48 group. JKT48 is the first idol group in Indonesia and is based in Jakarta. JKT48 was formed in November 2011 through PT Dentsu Inter Admark Media Group Indonesia as the first sister group of AKB48 outside Japan, the first generation JKT48 members are 28 teenage girls who were directly selected by Yasushi Akimoto as the founder and producer of AKB48 and all its franchises.
Unlike a girl band, JKT48 is an idol group. If a girl band is a music group whose members are introduced to the public after a long training process until they are perfect to perform in front of many people as a member of a group, then an idol group is an 'art academy' meaning that the members are given not too much provision, along with the efforts of the members themselves, they will be allowed to perform in front of fans or other audiences. From the first day of performing, fans can directly judge the member's own development day by day as long as the member is still part of the group. This is one of the mottos of all 48 groups including JKT48 which is 'growing and developing with fans'.
JKT48 is an idol group founded in Indonesia and is indeed a direct adaptation of the Japanese idol group AKB48. This direct adaptation is then a major influence in their success through the means of business-modeled cultural diplomacy and Japanese music and cross-country collaboration, especially Indonesia. JKT48's existence has also contributed greatly to the music industry in Indonesia. They have created a new trend in the Indonesian music scene by introducing a unique style of music and performance with Japanese nuances and Indonesian culture.
Cultural diplomacy is inseparably linked to JKT48's representation of AKB48 through cultural means with business models related to the music industry. Where JKT48 is used as a trademark for the diplomacy of the two countries that introduce Japanese culture with the collaboration of Indonesian cultural nuances. Thus, JKT48 gets an active response from many parties who are interested in using JKT48 to connect with each other in creating a new popular culture towards the people of both countries.
JKT48 as a group of individuals who promote Indonesian culture such as batik, traditional food and Indonesian language can be seen when JKT48 performs in Japan as a guest star. During the performance, JKT48 members not only perform singing and dancing performances but also invite the audience to learn Indonesian interactively.
