The Clash of Soft Powers Between China and Japan: Synergy and Dilemmas at the Six-Party Talks

This article argues that during the Six-Party Talks on North Korea, China adroitly used its diplomacy to produce “soft-power synergy” while Japan became stuck with a “soft-power dilemma.” Soft-power synergy refers to an outcome within which a success of an outward (foreign) soft-power strategy brings about simultaneous success of inward (domestic) soft-power strategy. On the other hand, soft-power dilemma denotes an outcome where a success of outward (or inward) soft-power strategy produces failure or negative influences in the inward (or outward) soft-power strategy. Borrowing from Robert Putnam’s two-level game metaphor, this article tries to reveal the two-level dynamics of soft power by developing a refined conceptual framework of soft power and also by explicating a case study of Chinese and Japanese diplomacy at the Six-Party Talks.