Japan wants to export a little more 'gross national cool'

Japan's prime minister Taro Aso yesterday called on his country to tap into the power of popular culture to increase exports and boost the economy. As Japan struggles to lift itself out of a deep recession, "soft power" cultural products can cement ties with other countries and create major industries, he said. The prime minister wants to build on the success Japan has already experienced in spreading its iconic products and images around the globe. In an article in Foreign Policy magazine in 2002, journalist Douglas McGray dubbed this international cultural influence "Japan's gross national cool." Mr. Aso is keen to crank up the GNC. Some of Japan's past exports of "cool":

Transistor radios

and Walkmans

In the post-World War II world, Sony's cheap, portable radios transformed teenage culture. The Walkman and Discman were ubiquitous in the 1980s and 90s, until displaced by Apple's iPod.

Pokemon

Originally a Game Boy game called Pocket Monsters in the 1990s, the cute animated characters shifted into television programs, movies, toys and books. Pokemon games are still everywhere, even on the Wii.

Nintendo

Originally a playing card company, Nintendo has now sold hundreds of millions of video game units around the world. It's Super Mario Bros. game is the best-selling of all-time. The Wii game consol, with its motion sensing controller, is the biggest selling game hardware in the current market.

Manga

The popularity of Japanese comic books and graphic novels - usually produced in black and while - took hold in the west in the 1990s, although it had been a huge domestic industry for decades.

Anime

This Japanese style of animation features wide-eyed characters with big hair, and angular graphics. It's often considered the film version of manga. The style has also influenced toys, cartoons, and video games.

Godzilla

The iconic movie monster originated in Japan in 1954, but it soon took over the world. It has appeared in dozens of movies, and in 1998 a big budget feature had the creature destroying New York. The key question: Is the monster a metaphor for nuclear attack?

Hybrid cars

While Japan certainly doesn't have a monopoly on hybrids, the Toyota Prius became the icon for clean living and concern about the environment. Japan's early development of hybrids left North American car-makers in the dust, and the consequences are now apparent.

Hello Kitty

The cartoon character created by Japan's Sanrio Inc. in the 1970s is now a global marketing juggernaut, generating billions of dollars from sales of clothes, cards, school supplies, makeup and just about anything else an image can be affixed to.