Japan's Olympic Diplomacy: From Tokyo 1964 to Tokyo 2021

Abstract

Public or cultural diplomacy is the exchange of culture, ideas and information that nations around the world carry out to achieve mutual understanding that allows progress in the construction of a more peaceful and stable world. In this area, the celebration of the Olympic Games is one of the most important events of public or cultural diplomacy that a nation can achieve to project and share its culture and identity with the rest of the world. The hypothesis to be tested is that Japan, as a democratic country that protects freedom of expression, achieves a more effective cultural diplomacy because it integrates the participation of a great variety of cultural actors. This research will study the connections between Japanese society, international communication and the legal protection of freedom of expression. To achieve the aforementioned objectives, a comparative and interdisciplinary research will be carried out analyzing the evolution of Japan's cultural diplomacy from the 1964 Tokyo Olympics to the 2021 Olympic Games. This research will also allow to understand future cultural diplomacy of Japan after the post-Olympic era and will allow to analyze the role of Japan as a cultural power in the 21st century.