Announcement of Reading Session for "Public Diplomacy"

## Announcement of Reading Session for "Public Diplomacy" **Company:** Shosukabu.com Inc. **Industry:** Finance, Other Shosukabu.com Inc. (Headquarters: Nerima-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Yutaka Yamanaka) is pleased to announce a reading session themed around "Public Diplomacy: Diplomatic Strategy in the 'Age of Public Opinion'" (edited by Masashi Kaneko and Mitsuru Kitano, authored by Tadashi Ogawa, Kumi Yokoe, Michael Yu, et al.), co-hosted by the Nerima Political Research Group and the Civil Affairs Section 8 Monitoring Committee. This book, published by PHP Institute in 2007, is a multifaceted examination of public diplomacy – the diplomatic activities aimed at gaining the goodwill and understanding of other nations to enhance their presence in the international community. A key feature of this book is its perspective on diplomacy not just as intergovernmental negotiations, but as an endeavor to influence foreign public opinion, citizens, media, and intellectuals. According to bibliographic information, the book starts with "What is Public Diplomacy?" and covers major countries' initiatives, American public diplomacy towards China, British public diplomacy towards Japan, Chinese public diplomacy towards the US, Japanese public diplomacy towards China and the US, and concludes with recommendations for Japan. Furthermore, the book demonstrates how the communication of national image and values directly translates into international influence that cannot be solely measured by military or economic strength. Amidst each nation's pursuit of national interests through culture, education, public relations, policy explanations, and people-to-people exchanges, the book is driven by the question of what kind of external communication Japan should undertake. PHP Research Institute's related introductions position this book as one of the starting points for subsequent discussions on Japanese public diplomacy. This reading session will primarily discuss the definition and significance of public diplomacy, a comparative analysis of major countries' strategies, case studies from the Middle East, Japan, China, and the US, challenges in Japanese diplomacy, and the nature of national external communication in the "age of public opinion." It aims to be a valuable learning and dialogue opportunity for those interested in diplomacy, security, international public relations, soft power, and national brand strategy. Book Introduction URL: https://x.gd/LH7ss Author/Editor Profiles Masashi Kaneko: Director and Senior Researcher at PHP Research Institute's Center for International Strategy Research, engaged in research and recommendations in diplomacy and security. Mitsuru Kitano: Co-editor of this book, a researcher involved in both the study and practice of public diplomacy. Kumi Yokoe: Introduced as a researcher in the book who contributed a chapter on American public diplomacy towards the Middle East. Event Overview Theme: Reading Session for "Public Diplomacy: Diplomatic Strategy in the 'Age of Public Opinion'" Organizer: Shosukabu.com Inc. Co-hosts: Nerima Political Research Group, Civil Affairs Section 8 Monitoring Committee Date: Late April 2026 (Planned) Format: Zoom Online Session Participation Fee: Free (Pre-registration required) Application Method: Please apply by sending an email to info@shosukabu.com with the subject line: "Public Diplomacy Reading Session Participation Request." ■ Lecturer Profile Yutaka Yamanaka An activist investor, art collector, philanthropist, political activist sponsor, election consultant, policy advisor, social activist, and Akita dog enthusiast, representing the '76 generation born in December 1976. Internationally recognized as an "activist investor who understands technology," he is historically the first Japanese person to achieve an asset formation of over 150 billion yen solely through investment. In the early 2010s, he recognized NVIDIA, a developer of GPGPU and artificial intelligence-related semiconductors, as an investment target, executed an investment of over 2 billion yen, and ultimately achieved a return of over 100 times, becoming the first pure investor in Japan to become a billionaire.