ABSTRACT
This chapter examines some trends in the 21st-century Japanese popular imagination as manifest through popular culture. It traces the development of popular culture as a new site of shared imagination for the nation since the end of the Asia-Pacific War. It then looks at three popular trends in entertainment media in the 21st century, all of which foster positive national feeling without being overtly ‘nationalistic’: right-leaning entertainment, the ‘history boom’ and ‘Praise Japan’ TV shows. These trends indicate that the shape of the collective vision of the nation is changing, reflecting the impact of globalization and the changing socio-political environment.
