Pop, Politics and Modern Asia

Asia has a long way to go in addressing its past and present political baggage. A more progressive spirit in the region's popular culture could help change the conversation.

From Thailand's domestic meltdown and Myanmar's touch-and-go democratic transition to multiple territorial disputes emerging as flashpoints in the South China Sea, political tensions run high across Asia today. Chinese troops have massed near the Vietnamese border; and every trip by a Japanese politician to the contentious Yasukuni Shrine twists a knife into long-festering historical wounds.

Recently, in defiance of widespread public opinion, Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo radically departed from the nation's post-war pacifist constitution by lifting the post-WWII ban on Japanese forces fighting in conflicts overseas. The move was met with public outcry, with thousands demonstrating in front of Abe's residence and one man even setting himself alight in Tokyo's Shinjuku district in the ultimate act of protest.

An often-overlooked aspect of political tension is the way it tends to elicit a range of responses from artists and other cultural figures. From K-pop and manga to cinema and the visual arts, the drama playing out in the political sphere also shakes the pop edifice. Growing numbers of artists and cultural ambassadors are speaking out in favor of reconciling traumas past and present through dialogue, and forging a new way forward.

To be sure, the reach of culture has its limitations. Mark Schilling, film critic for The Japan Times, asks: "Can something like Doraemon really transfer into an affection for Japan? Some kids from France may feel a bit friendlier towards Japan. But is that really going to change government policy?"

"Maybe not — but if you look closely enough, across the region culture can be seen not only mirroring the more regressive tendencies, but also hinting at a larger awakening."

To grasp the tenuous way pop culture can exert a positive influence across borders plagued by political tension — as well as the way such tension can spoil the buzz — the rise and fall of the "Korean Wave" (hallyu) offers a good case study. Its peak is perhaps best seen, and heard, in Psy's ubiquitous Gangnam Style, which had racked up more than two billion YouTube views at the time of writing. But long before Psy's antics entered global pop consciousness, hallyu, from music to televised dramas, was already wooing Japan.