Japan can't export cool without strategic thinking

Douglas Montgomery is CEO of Global Connects Media and an adjunct professor at Temple University Japan.

In the world of pop culture, few stories are as remarkable -- or instructive -- as the rise of the "Korean wave," or hallyu. Over the past two decades, South Korea has transformed itself from a modest exporter of niche media into a cultural superpower with global household names in music, film, television and fashion. Japan, by comparison, remains rich in cultural capital but underleveraged in global influence -- soft power.