Imaginings in the empires of the sun: Japanese mass culture in Asia

Japanese cultural influence is becoming prevalent throughout Asia, but Japan's pervasive cultural presence on Taiwan has drawn little attention from local intellectuals. Two exceptions are Chuang Shu-yu, in an essay entitled 'Speed, Infiltration and Occupation: The Japanese Invade Taiwanese Economy' and Tsan Hung-chih, in the book 'City Watching: New Language, New Contact, and New Culture.' Both analyses regard the meaning of Japanese commodities as predetermined, focus on production and fail to consider the variety of possible responses by consumers. The idea of cultural imperialism targets single nations instead of looking at the global system as a whole.