本論文主要目的為釐清台灣公共外交政策的演變與作為，尤其探討台灣對世界投射其軟實力外交的工具及策略。由於日本扮演了台灣至關重要的經濟與非官方安全伙伴，因此是台灣外交政策主要對象也是本文的主要研究對象。透過文獻蒐集與分析，本研究揭露台灣軟實力如何在日本社會發揮其作用也探討跨文化對談與文化外交如何加深台日關係。本研究透過歷史觀點與現代政策分析的整合深入了解台灣與日本的互動，也凸顯了軟實力與公共外交對開啟與鞏固台日關係的重要性。

My thesis aims to clarify the evolution and complexity of Taiwan’s public diplomacy policies, specifically analyzing the tools and strategies that Taiwan uses to implement its soft power onto the global landscape. Japan, serving as the primary focus of this research, stands out as a significant example due to its dual role in Taiwan’s foreign relations: a prominent economic partner and an unspoken, unofficial security partner. Sourcing from a diverse collection of references, this research uncovers how Taiwan’s soft power initiatives resonate within the Japanese society and how cross-cultural communication and cultural diplomacy have come to strengthen Taiwan-Japan relations.  By integrating historical perspectives with modern policy analysis, this study provides a deep comprehension of the interaction between Taiwan and Japan, highlighting the essential roles of soft power and public diplomacy in establishing and maintaining their bilateral ties.

Chapter 1 Introduction	1
1.1 Concept of soft power and hard power	1
1.2 Taiwan’s soft power and hard power contrasted with those of China	2
1.3 China’s Confucius Institutes vs. Taiwan’s Mandarin Chinese centers	4
1.4 Evolution of Taiwan’s soft power strategy	8
1.5 Background information on Taiwan’s soft power and public diplomacy strategies towards Japan	8
1.6 Purpose and objectives of the study	10
1.7 Research questions and hypotheses	11
1.7.1 How has Taiwan’s use of soft power and public diplomacy towards Japan evolved over time, and what factors have influenced these changes?	11
1.7.2 What specific elements of Taiwan’s culture and values have been most influential in shaping Japan’s perception of Taiwan, and how have these elements been leveraged in Taiwan’s public diplomacy efforts?	12
1.7.3 To what extent have Taiwan’s public diplomacy efforts towards Japan been successful in shaping Japanese public opinion, and how can the impact of these efforts be measured?	12
1.7.4 How do Taiwan’s soft power and public diplomacy strategies towards Japan compare with those of other countries in the region, and what unique advantages and challenges does Taiwan face in this context?	13
1.7.5 How have recent geopolitical developments, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and China’s increasing assertiveness in the region, affected Taiwan’s public diplomacy strategies towards Japan, and what implications do these developments have for the future of Taiwan-Japan relations?	13
Chapter 2 Literature Review	15
2.1 Conceptual and theoretical framework of soft power and public diplomacy	15
2.2 Studies related to Taiwan’s soft power and public diplomacy with a specific focus on strategic approaches towards Japan	18
Chapter 3 Methodology	21
3.1 Research design and approach	21
3.2 Data collection methods	21
3.3 Data analysis methods	22
3.4 Comparative analysis of soft power and public diplomacy in regional context	22
3.4.1 Context	22
3.4.2 China’s soft power and public diplomacy	23
3.4.3 South Korea’s cultural diplomacy	23
3.4.4 Japan’s cultural diplomacy	24
3.4.5 ASEAN’s cultural diplomacy	25
3.4.6 India’s cultural diplomacy	26
3.4.7 Conclusion	27
Chapter 4 Taiwan’s soft power and public diplomacy strategies towards Japan	28
4.1 Brief history of Taiwan-Japan relations	28
4.2 Overview of Taiwan’s soft power and public diplomacy strategies towards Japan	30
4.2.1 Context	30
4.2.2 Economic cooperation and business partnerships	30
4.2.3 Cultural exchange and media export	34
4.2.4. Academic exchanges and collaborative research initiatives	38
4.2.5 Public diplomacy and grassroots engagement	42
4.2.6 Taiwan’s soft power and public diplomacy efforts towards other countries in comparison to those towards Japan	49
4.2.7 Examination of sharp power dynamics in the global semiconductor industry: the case of TSMC’s influence and strategic partnerships	54
4.2.8 Conclusion	58
4.3	Assessment of the effectiveness of Taiwan’s strategies towards Japan	59
Chapter 5 Comparison with other countries’ soft power and public diplomacy strategies towards Japan	62
5.1 Context	62
5.2 South Korea’s soft power and public diplomacy towards Japan	62
5.2.1 Brief history of Japan-South Korea relations	62
5.2.2 South Korea’s economic engagement with Japan	63
5.2.3 Korea’s cultural diplomacy through pop culture	67
5.2.4 Conclusion	67
5.3 China’s soft power and public diplomacy towards Japan	68
5.3.1 Brief history of Japan-China relations	68
5.3.2 China’s economic engagement with Japan	70
5.3.3 China’s cultural diplomacy through language and education	72
5.3.4 Conclusion	73
5.3.4 Japan’s soft power and public diplomacy, and its effectiveness and challenges	………………………………………………………………………………..74
5.4 Analysis of advantages and challenges faced by Taiwan	75
Chapter 6 Impact of recent geopolitical developments on Taiwan’s public diplomacy strategies towards Japan	79
6.1	The COVID-19 pandemic	79
6.2	China’s increasing assertiveness in the region	81
6.3	Implications for the future of Taiwan-Japan relations	83
Chapter 7. Conclusion and recommendations	85
7.1 Summary of findings	85
7.2 Contributions to the literature and implications for policy	88
7.3 Recommendations for future research and policy	90
Bibliography	93

 
List of Figures
Figure 1: Narita Airport Route Map for Winter 2019.	34
Figure 2:  No. of Japanese students studying abroad according to destination in 2007 (left) and 2019 (right) (not including language course students).	40
Figure 3: Favorite travel destinations among Japanese people in 2018 and 2019.	45
Figure 4: Figure 4: Japan displacing China as top Taiwanese pineapple importer.	46
Figure 5: Monument built in Tamsui in gratitude for Taiwanese people (left), and banner displaying “Thank you, Taiwan, I love you” at Zhongshan MRT station on the 10th anniversary of 311 Tohoku Earthquake (right).	49
Figure 6: Smartphone market share in Japan and worldwide.	66
Figure 7: Comparison of marketing strategies for Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones in Japan and in other markets.	66

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