The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) said Tuesday that it will invite the heads of six major tourism agencies in Japan in order to promote the culture and history of the ancient Baekje Kingdom (18BC-660 AD)and attract more Japanese tourists to the southwestern part of the country.

Japanese plenipotentiary in Iran Kazutoshi Aikawa and cultural attaché Yoko Takahashi visited the exhibit “A Manifestation of World Contemporary Art” currently underway at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (TMCA) here on Wednesday.

Kyodo News has launched a fully redesigned website for its English-language service as part of efforts to strengthen its multilingual and multimedia services... The Kyodo News English-language service covers developments around the globe 24 hours a day, with a particular focus on Japan and the Asia-Pacific region.

Nation Branding: Japan at Expo 2010 Shanghai.

A Tale of Two Japans

Japan’s soft power seems to derive from the country’s ability to achieve a delicate balance between “modernity” and “tradition.” Pavilion Commissioner General, Mr. Hiroshi Tsukamoto, discusses how both the “hi-tech Japan” and the “cool, beautiful Japan” are presented at Shanghai Expo. He also shares thoughts on the Expo as a venue for public diplomacy.

When Ichiro Fujisaki first arrived in the United States in 1960 at age 13, he found himself thrust into a strange new world, starting public school in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood even though he spoke no English. Next week he will visit the same school, Catharine Blaine K-8, as Japan's ambassador to the United States.

Japan may be on a slow decline as far as being a global economic force, but the "soft power" of its modern entertainment genres, from manga to "anime," has global appeal, especially among young people. Why and how did this entertainment media thrive? How popular is it overseas?