The Influence of National Identity on the Elaboration of Public Diplomacy in France and Japan

Abstract This article compares the elaboration of the French and Japanese public diplomacies since the 1990s, with a particular focus on the influence of national identity as a way to consider the domestic factors impacting the conduct of foreign policy. Addressing the research question – how does national identity influence the elaboration of public diplomacy in France and Japan? – the paper elucidates how this policy is constructed based on different senses of shared identity, utilising four variables. It first analyses the terminology employed by both states to define their public diplomacy policies. It then provides an overview of the principal actors engaged in this policy, followed by a study of the cultural practices and the diplomats’ routines. The final section examines the narratives advanced by French and Japanese political actors to project a favourable image of their respective nation.