Korean Wave In Japan

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The Korean Wave and its Influence on Japan The Korean wave, also known in Japan as Kanryuu, refers to the spread of South Korean culture and entertainment around the world. The term was coined in China in mid-1999 by Beijing journalists who were surprised by exponential growth of popularity of Korean culture and entertainment in China. The Korean wave has sparked a fad for Korean language, dramas and pop music in Japan. This phenomenon reels in not just millions, but billions of dollars annually for South Korea through cultural exports alone. (Korean Wave) In the past several years, the Korean wave has slowly, but surely replaced the “Japanese wave” which had preceded it. To fully understand the influence of the Korean wave in Japan, we first have to answer the following question: what was the relationship between Korea and Japan like before the Korean wave? To answer this question, we start off by tracing back to the history of Japan and Korea during the twentieth century. Friendly relations between Japan and Korea were discouraged due to the fact that Japan annexed Korea in 1910 and maintained an occupation force in Korea for the next 35 years. (Frederick, 2006) During the time of Japan’s occupation in Korea, the Japanese Empire enforced policies that aimed to erase Korean culture and language. As a result of the conflict, there was little interaction between Japanese and Korean media. However, the start of the Korean wave can be said to have improved relations between Japan and Korea as more Japanese people became interested in Korean culture. For example, Miyuki Hatoyama, the wife of former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, has often mentioned her love for Korean dramas. She once even proclaimed that her youthful appearance can be attributed to watching Korean dramas. (Author, Miyuki Hatoyama) Some have commented that her enthusiasm for all

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