Academic Discussion and Writing Governments spending on the improvement of their national image

Question: Is it a good idea for governments to allocate financial resources to enhance the image of their own country in various ways on the international stage. 

 

 

☆Let’s Think

1         To what purpose do you think a country spends much on the enhancement of its national image?

2         Which type of teachers do you like better, teachers who spend money on their appearances or teachers who spend money on their personal development?

3         What if a country spent much on the national prestige like an unnecessarily strong military or spying while its people are starving?

Reference: North Korea, Russia, the USA, Japan, etc.

4         Do research on the Cool Japan campaign.

Reference: A Decade in “Cool Japan” – Over the Offing

(https://overtheoffing.wordpress.com/2021/06/10/a-decade-in-cool-japan/)

5         What percentage of Japan’s GDP is tourism?

 

 

☆Hints for Points

Agree

1.     The tourism industry will benefit from the increased budget for the image of the country.

2.     Large donations to other countries increase goodwill.

3.     Investment may increase.

4.     Students from other countries may increase.

 

Disagree

1.     The tax money must be returned to reduce problems people are facing.

2.     The Cool Japan campaign failed with a huge deficit. It started as a campaign to promote Japanese contents like anime and manga, which had already been successful in other countries and did not need any promotion. Then it expanded to promote other Japanese cultures like Japanese food and textiles. The marketing was done not by businessmen but by the government officials and it failed.

3.     Two or three decades ago, tourists started coming to Japan because Japan had attractions such as Akihabara the anime town, the beautiful countryside that retain traditional Japanese life and culture, or good skiing resorts. Now they come to Japan because Japan is cheap. Neither has anything to do with the government spending on the promotion of its tourism.

 

 

☆Sample Essay Structure

【Thesis】Image control is deceptive, but image is often everything. Budget allocation of the improvement of the national image is directed to the people of the country.

【Supporting Details】 The authorities make efforts to control the people by controlling their images of their country. To control its image, the country manages the media and education. It is so sophisticated that the people do not notice that they are deceived. While no experts can find ways to solve the problem of the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima, the Prime Minister Abe said, “It’s under control” to win the right to have the Olympics. Hundreds of millions of yen went to the politicians involved in the 1,700-billion-yen international event unofficially. It was all for creating the image that Japan is doing well.

【Counterargument-treatment】Although tourists might be attracted by such campaign at first, but they might stop coming if their experiences are not as good as they had expected. Also, most popular countries among tourists are those whose prices are low. Today’s increase of tourists in Japan is the case in point. More people visit Japan than ever because yen has been depreciated now.

【Conclusion】Budget allocation to national image won’t work for the real improvement of the economy and the lives of the people. (209 words)

 

Write your response in 10 minutes. Show each other your responses. Write down questions or suggestions to each other’s response.

 

                                               DRAFT