AustraliaJapanRelationsEssayContest2013KevinWong

JapaneseCulturalAmbassadorEssay:Doraemon:
Doraemon,aJapaneseculturalanimefigure(alsothenameoftheseries),isa
fictionalroboticcatfromthefuturethathelpsayoungschoolboycalledNobitainhis
everydaystrugglesandconflicts.Successfullyselling170millioncopiesofseveral
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versionsofthemangaworldwide ,DoraemonstandsasoneofJapansmost
lucrativeandiconicseriesofalltimecreatedbytwomangaartistsunderthenameof
FujikoFujio.Itispraisedfornotonlybeingentertainingtoabroadanddiverse
spectrumofages,butalsoforthethemesandrealworldissuesexploredineach
installmentthatisexhibitednotonlyeducationally,butalsoinacomedicand
innocentmanner.Theserieshasachievednumerousmilestonesandgarnered
enoughattentionandpopularitywiththegeneralpublictohaveitsleadingcharacter
ablueandwhiteroboticcatelectedasthefirstanimeambassadortotheworld.
Anumberofdrivingcatalystslaybehindthisculturaldecisionthataimstopromote
andprovideglobalinsightintoaspectsofJapanesecultureandtradition.
Doraemon,surprisinglyenough,isanextremelyinfluentialandpopularfigure
internationallywithhisimageutilisedasendorsementinadvertisementsandcauses,
includinghisrightfultitleasJapansculturalandanimeambassador.Thestoryline
ofDoraemonisaboutananthropomorphicroboticcatfromthe22ndcenturysent
backtothemodernday(thoughbeforetechnologicalgadgetsexisted)toaida
youngboy,Nobita,inhisdailystrugglesandinnerconflicts.Everysituationtypically
resultsintheultimatedependenceofDoraemontoretrieveafuturisticgadgetfrom
hisbellywithNobitaorsomeoneelsemisusingitthusleadingtoamorallessonlearnt
attheend.Themesofreliance,weakness,courage,overindulgence,sinandcritical
issuessuchasglobalwarming,endangeredspeciesanddeforestationareaddressed
ineachchapterwhichthusexplainswhychildrenarenotthesoleaudienceforthe
series.
Thecharacterisnotonlyafamiliarsightforamajorityofcountriesglobally,especially
thatofAsianones,buthassurpassedothersimilarlyprominentfiguressuchasHello
KittyandGodzilla.Notonlyhashealreadybeenelectedasaninternational
ambassadorforJapanworldwide,butDoraemoncanalsoaddtoastreakof
achievementsthathehastranscendedinternationalfigureHelloKittyinavieasto

Iwamoto,T2012,Happybirthday!Doraemonwillbeborn100yearsfromtoday,AsahiShimbun,

Osaka,accessed24July2013,http://ajw.asahi.com/article/cool_japan/culture/AJ201209030098

AustraliaJapanRelationsEssayContest2013KevinWong

whichfigurewillbeJapans2020TokyoOlympicsmascot.AspositedbyChavez,
[w]hatelserepresentsJapanbetterthanananimecharacterunderstoodby
childrenandadultsalike,andrepresentsJapanesecorevaluesofrespectand
friendship,whicharealsotwoofthethreeOlympicqualities.ThethirdOlympic
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qualityisexcellence,andinthisareaDoraemoncandelivertoo. Besidesfrom
traditional,culturalandethicalvalues,Doraemonhasalsosurpassedthesimilarly
popularfigureGodzillaintermsofticketsales.ItwasannouncedbyTohothatthe
Doraemonfilmserieshadsoldover100millionticketsasof26March2013,compared
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tothe99millionbyGodzilla.
In2008,DoraemonwasselectedbyJapansMinistryofForeignAffairstoan
internationalmascotandculturalpromoter.Thecharacter,oratleastapersonina
Doraemoncostume,travelledtheworldandvisitedmultiplecountriesfromregions
suchasAsiaandEuropeonadiplomaticmission.Theprimegoalwastoendorseand
provideaviewintoJapanesecultureanditsvaluedtraditionsaswellassharingthe
notionthatdifferentnationsshouldstrivetobefriendoneanother.Japanspop
cultureespeciallyhasalteredtheskepticalmindsofpeoplearoundtheworldand
causedthemtohavemoreinterestintheculturesofothers,thusthechoicetousea
mangaandanimefigurewasdeemedsuitable.TheactresswhovoicedDoraemon,
WasabiMizuta,claimedthatIt[was]anhono[u]rtodosuchanimportantjob.
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[That][shed]workashardas[she][could]. ShealsopromisedtheMinisterof
ForeignAffairsatthattime,MasahikoKmura,that[t]hrough[her]work,[she]
[would]do[her]besttotellpeopleinforeigncountriesaboutwhat[the]Japanese
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think,how[the]JapaneseliveandwhatkindoffuturetheJapanesehopetomake.

Chavez,A2013,DoraemontrumpsHelloKittyforOlympicGamesambassador,TheJapanTimes,

TokyoandOsaka,Japan,accessed12July,
2013,http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2013/04/20/ourlives/doraemontrumpshellokittyfor
olympicgamesambassador/#.UefLFqwavu
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Sekiguchi,T2013,GodzillaLosesTopSpottoKittybotDoraemon,TheWallStreetJournalAsia,Hong
Kong,accessed18July2013,http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2013/03/26/godzillalosestopspot
tokittybotdoraemon/
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Gomez,E2008,Japan'shighlevel,newdiplomatisacartooncat,SanFranciscoChronicle,San
Francisco,California,accessed18July2013,http://blog.sfgate.com/worldviews/2008/03/21/japans
highlevelnewdiplomatisacartooncat/
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AFP2008,JapanappointsDoraemonasnewdiplomat,AFP,Paris,accessed26July

2013,http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gHnijmTMg9aofF7g2LXNAu8v5Rw

AustraliaJapanRelationsEssayContest2013KevinWong

Besidesfrombeingfamousforhisroleasaninternationaldiplomat,Doraemonisalso
afamiliarsightinpopculture.Hisimagehasbeenusedinproducts,services,events
andforsponsorshipbothinJapanandoverseas.Doraemonhasbecomeapop
culturephenomenonathomeandabroadthroughanimatedcartoonTVseries,
countlesstoysandtrinkets,videogamesandmovies.Hislicensedimagehasbeen
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usedtopromoteallsortsofgoodsandservices. Afterthedisastrous2011
earthquakeinJapan,TVAsahibeganacharityfundthatwouldgotowardsreliefthat
wasendorsedbyDoraemonhimself.Thefundraisedover600millionyen(~$7.4
millionUSD)withinaweekwiththemoneybeingdonatedtodisastersitessuchas
theMiyagiandFukushimaPrefectures,aswellasorganisationssuchastheJapanese
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RedCrossSociety.
Doraemonhasrightfullyearnedhisplacewithinthehierarchyofbeneficialand
successfulcharacterswithhischarisma,moralityandmunificence.Withworldwide
recognition,acollationofachievementsandaccoladesaswellasaninstilledmorale
uponagenerationofpeople,thefigureisexpectedtogofurtherandbeyondonce
againinhisfuturefeats.

WordCount:878(Excludingfootnotes)

Gomez,E2008,Japan'shighlevel,newdiplomatisacartooncat,SanFranciscoChronicle,San

Francisco,California,accessed18July2013,http://blog.sfgate.com/worldviews/2008/03/21/japans
highlevelnewdiplomatisacartooncat/
7

TokyoHive2011,TVAsahi's"DoraemonCharityFund"raisesover600millionyenfordisasterrelief,

6TheoryMedia,Edgewater,NewJersey,accessed18July
2013http://www.tokyohive.com/article/2011/03/tvasahisdoraemoncharityfundraisesover600
millionyenfordisasterrelief

AustraliaJapanRelationsEssayContest2013KevinWong

Bibliography:
1. UnknownAuthor.Doraemon,Theappointmentofthefirst"animecultural
ambassador".Googletrans.(AFPBBNews,2008),accessed17July
2013,http://www.afpbb.com/article/lifeculture/life/2364557/2736468

2. WriteWorkcontributors2005,ThebestrepresentativeofcartooninJapanDoraemon.,
WriteWork.com,accessed17July,2013,http://www.writework.com/essay/best
representativecartoonjapandoraemon

3. Chavez,A2013,DoraemontrumpsHelloKittyforOlympicGamesambassador,The
JapanTimes,TokyoandOsaka,Japan,accessed12July,
2013,http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2013/04/20/ourlives/doraemon
trumpshellokittyforolympicgamesambassador/#.UefLFqwavu

4. Lyer,P2006,TheCuddliestHeroinAsia,Backgroundnote:archiveoforiginal,Time
Asia,HongKong,PRC,accessed18July
2013,http://www.webcitation.org/5ncD8NhOK

5. JapanToday,2008,Doraemonnamed'animeambassador',JapanToday,Tokyo,
Japan,accessed18July
2013,http://www.japantoday.com/category/entertainment/view/doraemonnamed
animeambassador

6. Goh,M2013,SubtlemessagesbehindanimeDoraemon,TheStar(Online),Penang,
Malaysia,accessed18July
2013,http://ecentral.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/3/27/tvnradio/12886677&sec=tvnra
dio

7. TokyoHive2011,TVAsahi's"DoraemonCharityFund"raisesover600millionyenfor
disasterrelief,6TheoryMedia,Edgewater,NewJersey,accessed18July
2013http://www.tokyohive.com/article/2011/03/tvasahisdoraemoncharityfund
raisesover600millionyenfordisasterrelief

8. Sekiguchi,T2013,GodzillaLosesTopSpottoKittybotDoraemon,TheWallStreet
JournalAsia,HongKong,accessed18July
2013,http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2013/03/26/godzillalosestopspotto
kittybotdoraemon/

AustraliaJapanRelationsEssayContest2013KevinWong

9.

10.

11.

12.

Yamaguchi,M2008,CartooncatbecomesatopdoginJapan,TheSeattleTimes,
Seattle,Washington,accessed18July
2013,http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2004293885_cartoonamb20.html

Gomez,E2008,Japan'shighlevel,newdiplomatisacartooncat,SanFrancisco
Chronicle,SanFrancisco,California,accessed18July
2013,http://blog.sfgate.com/worldviews/2008/03/21/japanshighlevelnewdiplomat
isacartooncat/

Iwamoto,T2012,Happybirthday!Doraemonwillbeborn100yearsfromtoday,Asahi
Shimbun,Osaka,accessed24July
2013,http://ajw.asahi.com/article/cool_japan/culture/AJ201209030098

AFP2008,JapanappointsDoraemonasnewdiplomat,AFP,Paris,accessed26July
2013,http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gHnijmT
Mg9aofF7g2LXNAu8v5Rw