THE USE OF CULTURAL DIPLOMACY IN PROMOTING TOURISM INDUSTRY: A CASE OF COOL JAPAN STRATEGY (2012-2019)

Abstract

Cool Japan is a term for Japanese popular culture which is considered attractive because it has its own uniqueness. Seeing the great potential that exists in Cool Japan, the Japanese government also implemented Cool Japan as a foreign policy in the form of cultural diplomacy and was officially supported by METI to advance Japan's creative industry to the global stage. It is hoped that the formation of Cool Japan foreign policy will have an impact on improving the Japanese tourism sector. But unfortunately Cool Japan has not provided optimal results in advancing Japanese tourism. This study presents an analysis of the Japanese government's diplomatic efforts in developing the Japanese tourism sector in the international arena through the Cool Japan strategy. Soft power, cultural diplomacy, and nation branding theory are used to provide further explanation of the Cool Japan strategy concept. The research method in this research is qualitative research with secondary data collection through official documents and literature study data collection techniques. The results of this study can be a reference for other countries to develop their soft power resources in order to achieve a successful tourism program.