By Beste Sevindik.
In recent years, the Netherlands has strategically leveraged its International Cultural Policy (ICP) to strengthen regional ties with Japan, a partnership exemplified by cultural collaboration programs such as Holland-Kyushu (2016-2017), Holland-Kyoto (2019-2020) and NL-Kanto (2021-2023). This report discusses the impact of such initiatives on relations between Japan and the Netherlands.
It illustrates how these frameworks serve as strategic tools in diplomacy and cultural collaboration with Japan. The Dutch government considers ICP a crucial element of its diplomacy and considers it a unifying link that connects political, economic and social issues within cultural and foreign policy. A collaborative effort of the Ministries of Education, Culture and Science, Foreign Affairs, and Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, the ICP employs a country-specific approach and targets 23 countries, including Japan, based on factors such as foreign demand, artistic and economic opportunities for the Dutch cultural sector, artistic quality, social relevance, historic ties and foreign policy significance.
This report situates the Dutch ICP between the intersection of cultural and public diplomacy, as ICP leverages cultural diplomacy for broader foreign policy and public diplomacy goals, alongside its primary objective of enhancing the global presence and market opportunities for Dutch arts, creative industries and heritage. Initiatives such as the Holland–Kyushu and subsequent programmes spearheaded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Japan, in partnership with the network organization DutchCulture and various Dutch and Japanese stakeholders, illustrate a shift towards geographically focused cultural partnerships to facilitate further cultural ties in these regions, strengthening artistic exchanges and leveraging cultural events to promote bilateral relations. These efforts also exemplify the Dutch ICP’s commitment to utilizing culture as a diplomatic tool. By facilitating a focused approach on regional cultural collaboration, the ICP serves as a strategic tool for the Netherlands to project its cultural image and political values in Japan.
