ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes four dimensions of the regionalization of Japanese popular culture during its peak period, which roughly extended from 1990 to 2005. These include: the circulation of popular culture commodities; the consumption and fandom of Japanese contemporary culture; the normative impact that Japanese popular culture has had on local cultural industries in East Asia; and the Japanese government’s response to the processes. Japanese popular culture has been one of the pioneers of the regional circulation of popular culture in East Asia. The first and most obvious stage in the massive circulation of Japanese popular culture in East Asia has been the production and dissemination of commodities. Japanese formats for producing animation, television programs, pop music, and comics have been widely adopted by the local cultural industries in places like Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China, substantively amending the structure of local popular culture markets.
