ABSTRACT
The lyrics of Asia no lunshin (Asian Purity), the debut single of Japanese pop idol duo Puffy, speak of Japan's deepening engagement with the rest of Asia. Strong cultural ties have blossomed between Japan and other Asian countries in recent years, adding a more human dimension to relationships that in the past have been primarily military or economic. In Japan, interest in other Asian countries is booming, evidenced by a boom in ethnic foods, increased travel to Asian destinations, the popularity of studying Chinese or Korean in place of once-dominant European languages, and a growing familiarity with movies and pop music from throughout the region. In many Asian countries, Japanese television dramas and pop music stars have become as well known as
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Japanese cars and electronic products. These cultural "products" of Japan offer models of a modern, urban lifestyle that students and young working people in Asia's upward-moving economies find attractive and relevant to their own changing lives.
