Conclusion

By exploring the developments of Japanese Film Festivals (JFFs) and their implications for national image projection, cultural relations and audience engagements in the Asia–Pacific, the book provides a novel understanding of film festivals as cultural diplomacy and addresses an area in the film festival scholarship that until recently has been limited. This final chapter highlights the accomplishments of this book, which sought to identify the features of JFFs in relation to Japan’s evolving cultural diplomacy initiatives to promote its national image and culture abroad through cinema and demonstrate their transformation over time. JFFs operating in the Asia–Pacific from 1990 to 2020 illustrate a specific kind of cultural diplomacy initiative that emerged initially as a response to national interests and geopolitical opportunities and, over time, have developed into festivals that construct an understanding of national images that are tied to Japan’s domestic discourses and international aspirations as well as contemporary cultural trends and innovation. This chapter also points to the resilience of JFFs in pandemic times and suggests avenues for future research trajectories.