Can pop culture help relations with Russia?

Takashi Sadahiro / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

MOSCOW--Put aside serious political issues like the disputed northern territories off Hokkaido for now. The Japanese Embassy in Russia has published the first issue of a Russian-language magazine featuring Japanese pop culture, hoping to broaden pro-Japanese sentiment in the country.

The quarterly magazine, mainly targeting young Russians, is far from a serious ordinary "government publication," but rather pop and cool.

The opening page of the first issue of Yaponiya (meaning Japan in Russian) includes an interview with Hayao Miyazaki, in which the movie director said he decided to become an anime creator after being moved by the expressiveness of the Soviet-era animated feature film, "The Snow Queen" (1957). The movie, he said, was "like a prophecy from heaven" that he should pursue his vocation.

On the fashion page, a Russian writer reports on street fashion in Tokyo's Harajuku district, which the writer describes as "the only place in the world in praise of eccentric outfits."

The magazine is edited by fashion mode magazine designers and top editors in the field to be fashionable enough for young people to want to pick it up.

The new magazine differs greatly from previous publications, which focused more on traditional Japanese culture and the latest technology.

In contrast to Japan's often stern feelings toward Russia, many Russians like Japan. According to an opinion poll in March, 50 percent of respondents said they were at least moderately interested in Japan. Meanwhile, the interest of Russians tends to lean heavily either toward Japanese cuisine or automobiles.

An embassy official in charge of the project said: "The latest information about Japan that young Russians want to know is very limited here. We hope the magazine can convey the material in a sophisticated way."