IN A bid to counter South Korea’s successful export of K-pop and drama, Japan will kick-start efforts to promote Japanese culture overseas with the launch of dedicated TV channels in South-east Asia, according to a report in The Daily Yomiuri.
Tentatively named Japan Channel, the first station will be launched in Singapore in February, followed by Indonesia, the Philippines and other South-east Asian countries. Japanese dramas, anime, food shows as well as informative programmes on products such as toys, cosmetic and fashion will be broadcasted.
The government is positive that Japanese culture and lifestyle will be promoted more effectively through these channels, which will help to spur exports and attract more tourists to Japan.
A tentatively named Cool Japan Fund will be set up later this year with 80 billion yen (US$907 million), with contributions from both the the public and private sectors. The government will also provide indirect aid to the project by subsidising the cost of dubbing and subtitling to localise content.
