{"id":1763,"date":"2026-05-21T17:52:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T08:52:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjpf.jp\/?post_type=live&p=1763"},"modified":"2026-05-21T17:52:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T08:52:17","slug":"2025cjpflab-5","status":"publish","type":"live","link":"https:\/\/cjpf.jp\/en\/live\/2025cjpflab-5\/","title":{"rendered":"FY2025 Fifth CJPF LAB: Growing Cool Japan Together \u2014 \u2018The Japan We Want to Share\u2019 Through the Eyes of International Talent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Speakers & Presentation Topics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam Fulford, CEO of Fulford Enterprise Co., Ltd., who has lived in Japan for more than 40 years and has long worked on translation and supervision for Japanese television programs related to English language education, spoke about one of the \u201cinvisible assets\u201d of Japanese culture: the spirit of consideration for others and cooperation with those around you. He explained that this mindset of \u201ccaring for others\u201d is becoming less common overseas and is perceived by many foreigners as a uniquely valuable aspect of Japanese culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Fulford pointed out that regional areas of Japan\u2014where traditional Japanese culture and ways of thinking remain especially strong\u2014hold tremendous potential for attracting inbound tourism. He outlined three major benefits that foreign visitors can bring to local communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First is the direct economic impact through tourism consumption. Second is exposure to highly skilled and specialized individuals. By welcoming visitors with perspectives and expertise rarely encountered in everyday local life, regional communities can gain new inspiration and opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third, he emphasized the advantage local communities have in being able to \u201cselectively adopt outside ideas with flexibility.\u201d Regions do not need to accept every suggestion brought from abroad; instead, they can choose and incorporate only the ideas that best fit their local vision. He described this ability to \u201ctake the best parts\u201d as one of the unique advantages of inbound tourism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, Mr. Fulford highlighted challenges in Japan\u2019s intercultural communication. Although Japan possesses a culture centered on consideration for others, he argued that many translations seen in regional areas are not truly created \u201cwith the audience in mind.\u201d While translations may be grammatically correct in Japanese terms, they are often written from a Japanese perspective and therefore fail to resonate with international audiences. He stressed the importance of transforming such language into words that genuinely \u201cspeak to the hearts\u201d of people from the perspective of the intended audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, he introduced the concept of \u201ccontribution-based tourism\u201d as a framework for co-creation with international visitors. Rather than tourists simply consuming local attractions, he proposed organizing decentralized international conferences in which participants stay for several days in different regional communities, discovering both local strengths and challenges. At the end of the journey, all participants would gather to share ideas and proposals, some of which could potentially be adopted as valuable contributions to regional development. Mr. Fulford suggested that such initiatives could help \u201cco-create value from Japan\u2019s invisible cultural assets\u201d together with international participants.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Robert D. Eldridge, Representative of the Eldridge Research Institute
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Robert D. Eldridge, Representative of the Eldridge Research Institute, who has lived in Japan for more than 30 years, delivered a thoughtful presentation on the importance of regional communities in preserving Japanese culture. Drawing from both his academic background and practical experience in research, education, and public policy, he offered perspectives grounded in both theory and real-world policy implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Eldridge identified Japan\u2019s declining birthrate, population decline, and excessive concentration of people and resources in Tokyo as major national challenges. He warned that addressing these issues is essential in order to prevent the irreversible loss of regional cultures and traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further argued that two fundamental problems lie at the root of these challenges. The first is that many of Japan\u2019s valuable resources\u2014including knowledge, human talent, time, nature, and vacant houses\u2014remain underutilized. The second is the persistence of siloed administrative structures, which tend to produce one isolated solution for each individual problem rather than comprehensive policies capable of addressing multiple interconnected issues from a broader perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, speaking from personal experience, Mr. Eldridge emphasized that many foreigners living in Japan love the country just as deeply as Japanese people do. He encouraged participants to actively involve and make use of such internationally minded individuals who genuinely care about Japan, highlighting the importance of co-creation and collaboration with people from overseas who share a passion for Japanese culture and society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sakiko Yamada, Representative of the International Gastronomy Society and Asia Representative of the Sports Doctors Network<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sakiko Yamada shared perspectives on Japan as viewed from overseas, drawing on her approximately 18 years of living abroad and her extensive experience in global business, while also introducing concrete business examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One example involved Japanese actors working in Hollywood. In the past, they were often placed in situations where they had little choice but to portray \u201cJapan as imagined by overseas creators.\u201d However, in the case of Sh\u014dgun, the actors themselves also served as producers under the condition that the production would authentically reflect real Japanese culture. By thoroughly pursuing the expression of \u201cauthentic Japan,\u201d the series achieved major global success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Yamada explained that this success demonstrated how works are highly valued when Japanese creators take an active role in presenting Japan honestly and authentically. Rather than merely adapting to overseas expectations, she emphasized the importance of proactively communicating Japan\u2019s own perspectives and actively participating on the global stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also noted that interest in Japan\u2019s regional areas is growing internationally, particularly regarding the \u201csoft\u201d aspects of Japan, such as hospitality and regional revitalization initiatives. Ms. Yamada shared her own philosophy that regional communities should not be viewed simply as \u201clocal areas within Japan,\u201d but rather as destinations with globally valuable appeal when their unique characteristics are properly utilized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, she explained that her own projects involve \u201cre-editing\u201d and rediscovering Japan\u2019s appeal together with overseas fans of Japan, crossing fields such as entertainment, medicine, food, and regional development in order to present local resources to the world through compelling narratives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking ahead, Ms. Yamada suggested that applying Japanese values themselves toward solving regional and social issues will become an increasingly important way of communicating Japan to the world. She concluded by presenting a new vision for Cool Japan: rather than simply promoting and selling Japanese culture overseas, the future of Cool Japan lies in Japan becoming \u201ca platform for co-creation,\u201d working together with global partners to solve shared social challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During the cross-talk session, lively exchanges of ideas took place not only among the speakers themselves but also through Q&A discussions with both in-person and online participants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One major theme was \u201chow to further deepen regional initiatives.\u201d Questions were raised regarding the development of the next generation of leaders and the importance of identifying key figures within local communities. Discussions explored the qualities needed in individuals who can serve as driving forces for regional projects, as well as concrete methods for building effective collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Participants also discussed how region-specific cultural assets\u2014such as areas associated with famous Sengoku-era warlords and historic shrines and temples\u2014are perceived by international audiences and how these local resources can be communicated as compelling attractions to people from overseas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Speakers & Presentation Topics Adam Fulford, CEO of Fulford Enterprise Co., Ltd., who has lived in Japan for more than 40 years and has long worked on translation and supervision for Japanese television programs related to English language education, spoke about one of the \u201cinvisible assets\u201d of Japanese culture: the spirit of consideration for others and cooperation with those around you. He explained that this mindset of \u201ccaring for others\u201d is becoming less common overseas and is perceived by many foreigners as a uniquely valuable aspect of Japanese culture. Mr. Fulford pointed out that regional areas of Japan\u2014where traditional Japanese culture and ways of thinking remain especially strong\u2014hold tremendous potential for attracting inbound tourism. He outlined three major benefits that foreign visitors can bring to local communities. First is the direct economic impact through tourism consumption. Second is exposure to highly skilled and specialized individuals. By welcoming visitors with perspectives and expertise rarely encountered in everyday local life, regional communities can gain new inspiration and opportunities. Third, he emphasized the advantage local communities have in being able to \u201cselectively adopt outside ideas with flexibility.\u201d Regions do not need to accept every suggestion brought from abroad; instead, they can choose and incorporate only the ideas that best fit their local vision. He described this ability to \u201ctake the best parts\u201d as one of the unique advantages of inbound tourism. At the same time, Mr. Fulford highlighted challenges in Japan\u2019s intercultural communication. Although Japan possesses a culture centered on consideration for others, he argued that many translations seen in regional areas are not truly created \u201cwith the audience in mind.\u201d While translations may be grammatically correct in Japanese terms, they are often written from a Japanese perspective and therefore fail to resonate with international audiences. He stressed the importance of transforming such language into words that genuinely \u201cspeak to the hearts\u201d of people from the perspective of the intended audience. Finally, he introduced the concept of \u201ccontribution-based tourism\u201d as a framework for co-creation with international visitors. Rather than tourists simply consuming local attractions, he proposed organizing decentralized international conferences in which participants stay for several days in different regional communities, discovering both local strengths and challenges. At the end of the journey, all participants would gather to share ideas and proposals, some of which could potentially be adopted as valuable contributions to regional development. Mr. Fulford suggested that such initiatives could help […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-1763","live","type-live","status-publish","hentry","en-US"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjpf.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/live\/1763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjpf.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/live"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjpf.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/live"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cjpf.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}