First look: Why Americans love Japan
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The Washington Monument is framed in the cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin at daybreak on March 22, 2024. Photo: J. David Ake/Getty Images
Japan has more influence on the U.S. than any other country, according to a new analysis of social media posts, news segments, economic and cultural impact and tourism.
Why it matters: Ukraine, Israel and China have dominated headlines in the last year, but Japan remains top of mind for many Americans due to its longstanding economic and cultural influence in America.
- That’s a measure of how much soft power Japan wields in America.
How it works: Data scientists at BGR Analytics, an arm of BGR Group, a lobbying, public affairs and analytics firm in D.C., looked at more than a trillion pieces of data from 2023.
- That included everything from what Americans are posting about other countries on social media and what impact foreign movies, musicians and athletes have on American culture to how much countries trade with the U.S. and how many multinational companies they have.
- They used those insights to determine how much of an impact different countries have on America.
What they found: Japan ranked as the overall most impactful foreign country.
- It also ranked high in a number of subcategories — and topped “social media sentiment,” which tracked how often a country is mentioned online and whether those mentions are positive.
“Japan played the long game,” says Frank Ahrens, who heads BGR analytics.
- “The Tidal Basin cherry trees [in D.C.] are Japan's greatest projection of soft power in the U.S. Each spring for the past 100 years, Washington is reminded of the gift, which brings universal delight.”
After Japan, the other countries in the top five for U.S. impact, in order, were Germany, South Korea, Canada and Italy.
- South Korea has climbed the ranks in part due to its cultural influence, Ahrens notes.
- K-Pop and the Oscar-winning “Parasite,” along with other Korean films, have made big splashes in the U.S.
Thailand, which is at No. 24, punches above its weight.
- It ranks No. 2 for social media sentiment, but No. 20 in number of global companies.
China, which sits at No. 15, is high for economy size and global companies, but low for online sentiment.
