In line with the ongoing development of the global economy, competition in international markets has intensified. In this competitive environment, differentiation of goods and services has become an important competitiveness factor, in which nation branding plays a very significant part. The increasingly widespread perception of Japan as a ‘cool’ nation, generated through exports of anime and other popular culture products, has increased interest in Japanese goods and, in some cases, facilitated expansion of the nation’s share of a number of overseas markets.
Hence, nation branding is closely linked to market expansion strategies. We aim to elucidate the mechanisms for this while formulating strategies and suggesting public policies.