|
|
Article: Why Japanese cool matters.(Cartoon Goes J-Pop)
- Article from:
- Multichannel News
- Article date:
- November 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc. (US). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Last July, BusinessWeek was finally compelled to ask: "Is Japanese style taking over the World?"
Japan, the magazine reported, has become a "rising force in a wide swath of fashion-focused industries" from toys to entertainment, even a form of car racing called "drifting." Recently, The Washington Post went so far as to declare Japan "the coolest nation on earth."
Marubeni Research Institute estimates the total value of Japan's cultural exports (music, books, films, collectibles etc.) at $15 billion in 2002, up 300% in 10 years.
At the epicenter: a new class of entrepreneurial designers driven from their lifetime jobs and the young, single ...