Promoting Singapore-Japan Ties Through the Soft Cultural Power of Food Diplomacy: The Hybridization, Cross-Pollination and Indigenization of Contemporary Japanese Food Culture in Singapore

Abstract

Food culture is a form of cultural soft power (if one utilizes a broader definition of the term), encompassing and propagated through non-military, economic and cultural means of influence. It is a form of persuasion without the need to resort to force. While food anthropologists have made inroads into studying the subject matter, political scientists and international relations (IR) experts have hardly touched upon the topic at all. When food cultures are termed as authentic, cultural norms in terms of food consumption are reinforced within a community. At the same time, when this food product is exported to other countries, localization takes place for achieving greater resonance with local consumers. The original food product may even incorporate local features for more effective marketing and sales. This writing examines the reception of Japanese food culture in Singapore as a form of soft cultural diplomacy through multi-disciplinary historical surveys, observation case studies and area studies perspectives.

This chapter was first published in: Lim, Tai Wei, Merlion And Mt. Fuji, The: 50 Years Of Singapore-Japan Relations (Singapore: World Scientific), 2017.