Chapter 3
Diplomacy to Defend National Interests through Co-creation with the World
Section 4 Efforts to Promote Understanding and Trust in Japan
1 Strategic Communications
(1) Responding to Information Warfare, Including Countering Disinformation
As geopolitical competition intensifies, international information warfare in the cognitive domain through information manipulation, including the spread of disinformation, is a constant occurrence, and has been particularly conspicuous in relation to the situation in Ukraine and Israel/Palestine. Foreign information manipulation, in which state and non-state actors deliberately spread disinformation and/or narratives to undermine confidence in Japan's policy making or to impede democratic processes and international cooperation, is becoming increasingly important to address.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is aware of this and, based on the National Security Strategy, is steadily strengthening its information gathering, analysis and communication capabilities in response to information warfare through the cooperation of its information, policy and communication divisions. Also, in responding to foreign information manipulation, resilience of the society as a whole, including media, think tanks and NGOs, is extremely important, and responses by Japan are based on the premise of a free information space. As attempts of spreading disinformation have been observed in the case of ALPS treated water (See Chapter 3, Section 1, 4 (3) C), the government responded to them with intensive communication efforts including the swift issuance of press releases denying the disinformation.
In addition, based on the understanding that countries sharing concerns over foreign information manipulation should take concerted action, the U.S. Japan Memorandum of Cooperation on Countering Foreign Information Manipulation was signed on December 6. Besides, MOFA has also been holding discussions on information manipulation in the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) and bilateral consultations, and has been promoting cooperation with other countries and regions that share the same values.
Signing of the U.S. Japan Memorandum of Cooperation on Countering Foreign Information Manipulation (December 6, Tokyo)
(2) Initiatives in Strategic Communications
With information warfare becoming a constant issue, strategic communication to increase understanding of Japan's policies and initiatives, as well as interest in Japan, has become more important than ever. MOFA conducts strategic communication based on three pillars: (a) making further efforts to disseminate Japan's policies, initiatives, and positions; (b) sharing Japan's rich and diverse attractions, and (c) expanding interest in, understanding of, and support for Japan. MOFA collects and analyzes information from a variety of angles, and then conducts strategic communications based on the National Security Strategy.
(a) In terms of communication in 2023 about Japan's policies, initiatives, and positions, in response to the international community becoming increasingly divided and confrontational, such as with the emergence of a new crisis in the Middle East and in addition to Russia's protracted aggression against Ukraine, MOFA, through various diplomatic opportunities and initiatives and while utilizing social media, has focused on disseminating information about Japan's basic ideas on and initiatives for peace, stability, and prosperity in the international community, for maintaining and strengthening the international order based on the rule of law, and for global issues. In addition, MOFA also worked to enhance public awareness of issues concerning the recognition of history and territory/sovereignty.
In particular, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, and other government officials hold press conferences, give interviews, contribute articles, or give speeches during overseas visits and international conferences, and Japan's diplomatic missions overseas also actively communicate with the governments, citizens, and media of their host countries. When foreign media outlets publish reports that include factual errors, the MOFA Headquarters and diplomatic missions overseas promptly lodge protests or post rebuttals, to ensure that media reports are made based on objective facts and understanding. In addition, MOFA creates publicity materials such as videos on Japan's foreign policy and then utilizes them in a variety of formats. Furthermore, in order to make Japan's basic positions and viewpoints on policy issues understood, it is also important to enhance coordination with experts and think tanks. From this perspective, MOFA invites influential experts and media personnel to Japan from abroad, and provides them with opportunities to exchange views with various people including Japanese government officials, as well as to visit various places around Japan for study tours and to conduct interviews. MOFA dispatches Japanese experts abroad, while extending its support for Japan-related seminars conducted by overseas research institutions.
By taking advantage of various opportunities and utilizing various tools, Japan is also engaged in efforts to strategically communicate information about matters on the recognition of history, including the issue of the so-called “comfort women” and various issues on Japan's territory and sovereignty. For baseless criticism of the Rising Sun Flag, accurate information about the flag is provided in a variety of forms, including making multi-language explanatory materials and videos available on MOFA's website to gain understanding from the international community.1
In order to increase the effectiveness of these communications, it is essential for MOFA to utilize various social media and MOFA's website, and efforts are being made to strengthen communications through these means.
(b) With regard to sharing Japan's rich and diverse attractions, from a viewpoint of promoting understanding of Japan abroad and of fostering an international environment in which Japan and its people are favorably received, MOFA conducts a variety of cultural exchange and communication projects through its diplomatic missions overseas and the Japan Foundation (JF). Specifically, through cultural exchange projects utilizing its diplomatic missions and the Japan Foundation's overseas locations around the world, as well as through projects such as the Japan International MANGA Award, MOFA utilizes social media and other methods to actively promote the appeal of a wide range of Japanese culture, from traditional culture to pop culture. In doing so, Japan has worked on initiatives in cooperation with people in the country and abroad to preserve tangible and intangible cultural heritage throughout the world and to promote the inscription of Japan's cultural and natural heritage on the World Heritage List and the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Moreover, in order to promote a deeper understanding of Japan, through organizations such as JF, MOFA has also been making various efforts to promote people-to-people and intellectual exchanges, and Japanese language education. These efforts include youth exchange programs between Japan and other countries and regions under Japan's Friendship Ties Programs among others. MOFA also supports Japanese studies at universities and research institutions in major countries around the world.
Social media utilized by MOFA
Policy promotion video, “29 Radionuclides and ALPS”
(English) (Posted on MOFA's YouTube official channel from July 13, 2023)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGnbpLbjw4w
Through these initiatives, MOFA will continue to make even further efforts with the aim of expanding interest in, understanding of, and support for Japan.
1 Reference materials concerning the Rising Sun Flag are available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) here:
(1) https://www.mofa.go.jp/a_o/rp/page22e_000892.html
(2) Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9co0U5lcE0c
“Rising Sun Flag as Japanese Longstanding Culture” (Posted on MOFA's YouTube channel from September 6, 2021)
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(3) JAPAN HOUSE
MOFA has established JAPAN HOUSE overseas communication hubs in three cities, namely São Paulo (Brazil), London (UK) and Los Angeles (U.S.). The purpose is to attract a wide range of people, including those who were not necessarily interested in Japan previously, and to enlarge the base of the people with interest in, understanding of, and support for Japan by communicating Japan's rich and varied attractiveness as well as its various policies, initiatives, and views.
JAPAN HOUSE promotes effective communication by (a) communicating through “All-Japan” efforts by the central and local governments, private sectors, and other actors, (b) promoting outreach that reflects the needs of local communities, and (c) providing a “one-stop-service” where various information related to Japan can be obtained from one location.
With the slogan “Mind-blowing Encounters with Japan across the Globe,” each JAPAN HOUSE conducts locally designed exhibitions which are independently organized by each hub, as well as touring exhibitions that are selected by experts from public proposals in Japan and exhibited at all three hubs. In this way, JAPAN HOUSE works to provide high-quality exhibitions by leveraging the knowhow of experts both in those hub cities and in Japan. In addition to exhibitions, Japan's diverse attractions, including traditional culture and arts, advanced technology, nature, architecture, food and design, as well as its various policies, initiatives and views, are also widely disseminated through other formats such as lectures, seminars, workshops, webinars, library spaces, websites and social media, merchandise, food and beverages, and cafés. JAPAN HOUSE is also currently working actively to win over new audiences by conducting some exhibitions in other cities or in neighboring countries, and by using hybrid methods combining in-person and online formats that suit the post-COVID-19 era. By the end of 2023, the total number of visitors for the three hubs had exceeded 5.97 million, indicating that the hubs are becoming firmly established as a major cultural facility in each city.
(4) Media Coverage of Japan in Other Countries and Regions, and Dissemination to Foreign Media
In 2023, foreign media coverage of Japan was centered on diplomatic issues such as the G7 Hiroshima Summit and Ministerial Meetings, Prime Minister Kishida's Attendance at the NATO Summit, the Japan-U.S.-Republic of Korea (ROK) Summit, the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, the situation surrounding Israel and Palestine, the situation in Ukraine, Japan-China relations, Japan-ROK relations, and the issues concerning North Korea, as well as the discharge of ALPS treated water, strengthening of defense capabilities, and energy policies, among other topics.
MOFA promptly and proactively provides information and assistance to foreign media in order to gain the understanding and support of the international community on Japan's policies, initiatives and positions. Communication through foreign media includes efforts to conduct interviews with the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, regular press conferences by the Foreign Minister (livestreaming in Japanese and English is also available online), briefings, press releases, press tours and other means. MOFA makes efforts to achieve strategic and effective communications by providing information in a timely manner based on the diplomatic schedule. Furthermore, in cases where there are significant factual errors or reports that are incompatible with Japan's position, MOFA promptly lodges protests or posts rebuttals to the media in an effort to ensure that media reports are made based on objective facts and understanding.
2023 was a year in which Japan attracted a great deal of attention from the international community, such as hosting the G7 Hiroshima Summit as the G7 Presidency. The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister also actively communicated with overseas media through contributions and interviews. For example, when hosting the G7 Hiroshima Summit, Prime Minister Kishida, in his contributions to several foreign media outlets, stated that the international community is at a historic turning point, and that the G7, which shares basic values, must lead the world by effectively responding to the critical challenges of the international community. He also called on the G7 to clearly articulate its positive and concrete contributions so as to confirm the unity of the G7 and strengthen its role towards the realization of an international society of cooperation, and furthermore called for the G7's firm determination to resolve the various challenges facing the international community to be strongly communicated together from Hiroshima. In May, Foreign Minister Hayashi also gave an interview to CNN to convey Japan's stance on the increasingly severe security environment. In addition, during Foreign Minister Kamikawa's visit to Brunei, Viet Nam, Laos, and Thailand in October and during Prime Minister Kishida's visit to the Philippines and Malaysia in November, via local media, they communicated Japan's stance on further strengthening relations and cooperation alongside the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation. Prime Minister Kishida also contributed articles to the local media of member states on the occasion of the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation.
In 2023, the Prime Minister contributed articles and held interviews 34 times, and the Foreign Minister contributed articles and held interviews for a total of 36 times. Additionally, MOFA provided information to foreign media through the Press Secretary and other means, and held press briefings to local media on the occasion of overseas visits by the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. Under the project to invite foreign media coverage, in 2023, 20 invitation programs were provided (of which 13 were coupled with visits to Japan, and 7 were coverage in online format), and more than 153 journalists from a cumulative total of 87 countries participated in the project.
(5) Information Provision Through the Internet
MOFA has been actively engaged in providing information through the Internet, such as MOFA's website and various social media, including by opening an official Instagram account in 2023, in order to gain better understanding and draw further support of people inside and outside Japan on Japan's foreign policy. In addition to livestreaming the regular press conferences by the Foreign Minister (in Japanese and English), MOFA also promptly and proactively communicated information about the G7 Hiroshima Summit and related meetings, the situation in Ukraine, the situation in Gaza, the ALPS treated water, and other topics.
Considering MOFA's English website to be an important tool for public diplomacy, MOFA has been enhancing its efforts to provide information in English on Japan's foreign policy concerning such subjects as territory and sovereignty, recognition of history, and security, as well as Japan's position on international affairs and Japan's diverse appeals. MOFA has also been working to provide information in local languages through the social media and the websites of Japanese embassies, consulates-general, and permanent missions overseas.