'Cuteness, eroticism, and violence are the essence of Japanese pop culture," says Ichiya Nakamura, executive director of the Stanford Japan Center and ex-government policy maker.

The saccharine cuteness of Hello Kitty and Sailor Moon has become almost as familiar to people in Europe and America as in Asia. From the Matrix to Kill Bill samurai, Japanese pop culture has never been more influential abroad.

Even the word "otaku," originally an uncomplimentary term for asocial Japanese manga and anime obsessives has been happily adopted by foreign fans.