Soft power of Japan in India

Abstract

‘Soft Power’ is a medium ‘to get others to want what you want.’ This research will study Japan’s development of soft power among the ‘Generation Z’ (19-24 years of age) in India through Japanese kids’ cartoons. The term ‘Japanese cartoons’ consists of a plethora of content from kids’ comics to adult anime; therefore, in this research, the term is used only for cartoons created for an audience of below 18 years of age, for example Doraemon, Shinchan and Kiteretsu. Thus, we will understand the influence of cartoons people used to watch as kids on the choices they make as adults, the choices that are relevant for this research. We will discern why kids’ cartoons and anime are more influential than adult anime in the long run. Japan was in the axis powers during the WW 2, yet has acquired a positive outlook, in India, than many Asian countries. Through survey, the research will analyze the cultural changes that Japanese cartoons have brought in India’s Gen Z.