After the COVID-19 pandemic, finally last October, the Japanese government opened up the nation to private tourists from overseas.
In November I was quite fascinated to find the result of a trustworthy up-to-date international survey "Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index ".(NBI)
Among the 60 important nations in the world, Japan ranked 2nd in 2022!!
Based in Paris, Ipsos is one of the largest market research and polling companies globally.
ー－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－ Conducted annually with Ipsos beginning in Spring 2008, the Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index measures the image of 60 nations*.
In 2022, approximately 60,000 adults ages 18 and up are interviewed in 20 core panel countries. The NB I measures the power and appeal of each country’s “brand image” by examining global perceptions of six aspects of a nation’s identity: "national identity," "tourism," "culture," "exports," "governance," and " immigration/investment.
Germany topped the list for the sixth consecutive year.
Japan moved up one place from third place in 2021 to second place ahead of Canada, and highly rated areas were Exports, Tourism, and Culture.
The Asia-Pacific region includes Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, India, Australia, and New Zealand, of which only Japan (2nd) and Australia (10th) made the top 10. The other countries in the top 10 are from North America and Europe, and the list remains unchanged from 2021, although the rankings have changed.
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Regarding Japan and Germany, - the two countries were both defeated in World War II. I think they have developed in their own unique ways after that historical hardship.
Actually, I found it quite surprising that Germany ranked first for the sixth consecutive year. However, recently, I was just learning about the attractiveness of Germany , its forestry industry. I felt that Japan has a lot to learn from Germany's policy and advanced technologies and ideas on forestation, which uses to be (and should be) one of the key industries in Japan.
It is also interesting that although neither of the two nations is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, they are considered to occupy such an "important" position in the international society.
Personally, I nostaligically remember the good old days before pandemic when Japanese government was aiming to become a tourism-oriented country with the successful Tokyo Olympics in 2020. While the post-pandemic world and era is not yet clear for anyone's eyes, it was great news to see that Japan's national brand power is steadfast.