The government's Cool Japan strategy of promoting the country abroad has taken another step as the trade ministry plans to recreate trendy districts of Tokyo in cities across the globe. The plan is aimed at promoting Japan and encouraging exports by organizing areas for Japan-style shops, restaurants and atmosphere in new markets abroad.
This approach may be economically feasible, but culturally its wisdom is questionable. Creating a Harajuku in uptown Manhattan or developing a Shibuya in Berlin may be a difficult goal.
The government has already held match-making fairs to find companies willing to set up shops overseas. Moving fashionable areas of Japan overseas may seem like a reasonable strategy in view of the drop in tourism due to worries about radiation from the Fukushima nuclear disaster. But it may be more difficult to take Japan to the tourists than it is to bring the tourists to Japan.