According to the U.S. State Department, on Sept. 22, 1940, Japan entered World War II (WW2) with the invasion of Chinese and French Indochina (comprised of modern-day Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos), simultaneously making aggressive moves towards its neighboring countries in the hopes of expanding to gain more natural resources. Upset by the violence towards their Chinese allies, the United States pulled all resources they were selling to Japan at the time, including oil that Japan required for its military. On Dec. 7, 1940, Japan launched its attack on Pearl Harbor, bringing the U.S. into the conflict and leading to Japan’s surrender on Sept. 2, 1945. Japan faced major consequences regarding social and physical damage, but quickly rose to power after the “Economic Miracle.” Japan’s rebranding following this loss occurred in three connecting phases: constitutional demilitarization, economic reform and a cultural soft power project.

Constitutional demilitarization came first: under the Allied Occupation, Japan adopted the 1947 Constitution, which dismantled the old imperial government and replaced it with a democratic, parliamentary system. According to the Constitution of Japan, Article 9 was at the core of this transformation, renouncing war as a sovereign right of the nation and prohibiting the maintenance of offensive military forces. By removing the financial burden of maintaining its military, Japan was able to relocate its resources, focusing on the creative growth of the nation.

The second phase was the “Economic Miracle,” which marked its pivot from a military focus to an economic powerhouse. Throughout the mid-1950s and 1960s, Japanese companies like Sony, Toyota and Panasonic emerged as global giants, and Japan became a symbol of high-quality technological reliability. By the 20th century, Japan began to focus on its artistry, transforming the anime industry, J-pop and video games into money-making exports guided by the last phase.

Japan’s final rebuilding phase was a push to be seen as a cultural soft power, a strategy that was later formalized by the government-funded “Cool Japan” initiative. According to the Cabinet Office, their goals included popularizing fashion, anime, manga and video games. By introducing characters like Hello Kitty and franchises like Pokémon worldwide, Japan produced a more kawaii (cute), friendly, non-threatening and highly creative global image.

“Over time, Kawaii has grown from a simple descriptive word to a significant cultural trend,” author and writer Himanshu Jain said. “[These kawaii trends are] encompassing various forms of media, fashion, art and consumer products.”

 Through its presence in the entertainment industry, Japanese media and aesthetic appeal began to have an immense global influence. Instead of relying on traditional diplomatic and military strength, Japan focused on leveraging cultural captivation to strengthen its brand and economic growth.

Japanese merchandise has especially seen large appeal to Western audiences. As stated by the 2024 United States Census, the U.S. had about 148,370 imports from Japan, an increase from the 68,782 imports the U.S. saw in 1985. Additionally, OEC World estimates Japan to be in the top 4 largest exporters globally in 2023, making $737 billion. 

Offering multiple collections of fan-favorite anime figurines, limited edition merch and manga and maid cafes, Akihabara is a famous area for anime lovers and tourists alike. Japan influenced America’s ideas of manga culture as it’s similar to American comic books. 

“The crucial role of imported comic strips had been obscured by a nationalist history of manga,” author and writer Leondard Rifas said. “which imagined manga as a homegrown Japanese medium, descended ultimately from a humorous 12th century Japanese scroll that showed animals engaged in human activities.” 

With manga being an important aspect of how Japan influenced western pop culture, many Americans are also interested in video games. Most games and films that Americans could find are in big companies known as SEGA, Square and Nintendo, creating known games like “Final Fantasy” and “Pokémon.”

When anime was first introduced to the West in the 1960s, animation styles in the Americas also began to change with Japanese influence.

“Look at Avatar: The Last Airbender,” math teacher and anime-enjoyer Michael Zheng said. “It was animated in such a fashion that it looked more like anime, even though it was made by American animators.”

American cartoons like “Teen Titans,” “Samurai Jack,” “Powerpuff Girls” and “Jackie Chan Adventures” were also inspired by anime, taking elements of an anime style and bits of their storytelling. When America was first introduced to anime, they compared their animations and how their audiences were different.
At first, anime seemed intimidating towards American cartoons, as it branched more towards a wider audience instead of just children. However, it gave American animators an idea of who they could target for entertainment. 

Not only is Japan well-known for its animations, but it is also home to popular artists like Takashi Murakami. Around the 2000s, Murakami first introduced a traditional painting style that follows a flat worldwide view known as “Superflat” in his exhibition. One of his most well-known creations is the Murakami flower, a flower with a face symbolizing the cycle of life and death.

Murakami has also influenced multiple fashion designs. One of his most well-known collaborations is the ‘LOUIS VUITTON X MURAKAMI’ collection that decorated many Louis Vuitton stores worldwide.

“[The Louis Vuitton and Murakami collab] offers an homage to the original collection’s vivid colours and whimsical designs, blending luxury shopping with a fully immersive experience,” reporter Emily Phillips said. “A celebration of Murakami’s signature ‘Superflat’ aesthetic, brought to life across over 200 re-edition Louis Vuitton’s bags, accessories and rolling trunks.”

With the ‘LOUIS VUITTON X MURAKAMI’ collection moving towards different stores like London and Shanghai, it helped promote Japan’s usage of the vibrant and bold colors in their fashion culture. Learning about the different artists in Japan brought more people to be involved with Japanese fashion culture. 

 “When I went to Japan, some of the stores had pre-made outfits for you with shoes and everything,” sophomore Tomoya Kavalec said. “I think that makes it really easy for Japanese people to have good style.” 

Japan’s pop culture is known for its various clothing styles, with the more notable styles being harajuku, gyaru and decora. With multiple retail stores in Japan, one fashion brand, UNIQLO, seems to be slowly rising in popularity.  

“[A known trend going around is] the rise in UNIQLO,” Zheng said. “I feel like a lot more Americans have been going to buy UNIQLO-branding clothing, especially given how popular it is.”

The media has spread Japan’s brands like UNIQLO’s and Onitsuka Tiger (a shoe brand), to help promote Japanese casual wear. According to Fast Retailing, UNIQLO’s revenues reached $1.4 billion, with their sales increasing as business spreads to the USA and Europe. 

Japan’s influence is strong not only in fashion, but in food and beverages in other countries as well. Matcha is a famous tea beverage that originally became popular in Japan, as people see this beverage as a source of healthy caffeine. According to Research and Markets, “The Global Matcha Market, valued at USD 4.33 Billion in 2024, is projected to experience a CAGR of 9.81% to reach USD 7.59 Billion by 2030.” As the demand for matcha increases, influencers all over the world search for cafes selling matcha. People popularized stores that would sell matcha in Japan, leading it to go viral across Asia and America and appear in coffee chains like Starbucks. 

 Japan Tourism Statistics shows that in 2024, there were about 36.8 million people visiting Japan, while back in 2014, there were only 13.4 million visitors. With all the cultural aspects Japan has built, it has become a hot spot to visit, with social media being a major reason for how popularity has risen.
“When I’m scrolling on reels, I would sometimes get Japanese reels,” Kavalec said. “[The reels would sometimes be] in Japanese, that’s kind of crazy, because I feel like that shows how widespread it has become.”

With Japan gaining more tourists over the years, there have been many trends on social media regarding the country’s daily life and culture. When scrolling through Instagram or TikTok, videos relating to Japan will usually have a popular audio that says, “next stop, Shibuya,” or another popular city like Osaka. Lately, videos could be seen from influencers traveling to Japan because of how popular it has become. 

Having strategically traded the nature of “hard power” for the attractive force of “soft power,” Japan’s global standing is now defined by its cultural exports. The massive worldwide appeal of phenomena like anime, manga and video game franchises underscores this new reality. The vibrant repositioning, championed by the “Cool Japan” initiative, demonstrates how artistic expression and storytelling have become Japan’s most effective international tools.