Downbeats & Dependencies: Contextualizing Jazz in U.S.-Japan Relations

In addition to its use as a form of creative expression, jazz has a rich history of use as a tool of cultural diplomacy, asserting a given country’s soft power or reflecting national sentiments. This paper utilizes the international relations theory of macrodependency to frame the evolution of United States-Japan relations in the twentieth century. The development of jazz in Japan is mapped onto this relationship through incorporating the ethnomusicological concept of reterritorialization, building upon existing research into jazz history and transnational flows. This research further utilizes data analysis to contribute to the underdeveloped body of literature surrounding Japanese jazz in the twenty-first century. In a contemporary context, some twentieth-century patterns of dependency persist while others have recently begun to reduce or reverse; this can be seen not only in economic and security spheres, but also in the jazz subculture. Although reverence of American jazz artists in Japan remains common, Japanese artists have gained newfound popularity and influence in the US and other global markets. 

Throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the status of jazz in Japanese society has reflected patterns of macrodependency in the evolution of Japan’s relationship with the United States. In the interwar period, jazz sparked an identity debate over Western versus traditional cultural identity amidst growing economic and political tension. This tension culminated in the Pacific War, during which Japan worked to ban jazz and when that failed, twisted the genre to fulfil national aims. During the subsequent Occupation, an American-controlled government signalled a return to transculturized jazz where imitation of American artists was the standard. As the US government used jazz on the cultural front of the Cold War, Japanese artists began to hybridize and indigenize the genre in the backdrop of rapid economic growth. The effects of the turn-of-the-century financial crises led to increased trade diversification and somewhat of a reduction in idealized US guidance on matters of the economy and jazz alike. In contemporary Japan, security dependencies remain as does the reverence of American jazz. However, other dependency dynamics have changed as the economic relationship has become more interdependent, Japan has launched its own cultural diplomacy initiatives, and as Japanese jazz has gained increasing popularity in the US.

This dual phenomenon of continuing and reducing/reversing dependencies can be used to understand the complex and significant relationship between the US and Japan. It is important to not only consider this relationship in conversations of policy and strategy, but also in understanding the interaction and evolution of art and culture. Additional research and fieldwork is certainly necessary to understand the contemporary Japanese jazz scene more completely; field observation and discussions with musicians can illuminate insights such as musician perspectives and audience demographics.

This project would not have been possible without the support of the Miami University Honors College. Special thanks to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program for recognizing this project proposal at the Semi-Finalist level.

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Career + Self-Development: The researcher networked with musicians, spent time in the spaces that were the focus of the project, and fostered connections outside her department to develop an interdisciplinary work.

Critical Thinking: Analyzing information from a wide variety of sources and presenting data clearly and efficiently were critical skills in the success of this project.

Professionalism: This attribute was displayed in developing a project timeline, meeting deadlines, scheduling regular meetings, and discussing the research with interested individuals.