Polka dots and miniskirts: how Japan wants world to see it

Foreign envoys come in all shapes and sizes but rarely decked out in miniskirts, schoolgirl uniforms and polka dot dresses adorned with bunny rabbits – until now.

The dramatic new look for Japan's diplomatic corps was unveiled by the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday, part of a plan to boost its soft power abroad with what it called "ambassadors of cute".

In place of the traditional buttoned-down male bureaucrat, trailing the whiff of stale cigarettes and mild distress, the perfumed power trio of Misako Aoki, Yu Kimura and Shizuka Fujioka were wheeled out for the foreign press. Representing Japan's Lolita, schoolgirl and gyaru (a youth fashion) sub-cultures, the three pop envoys from Japan's manga and animation world will be tested out at cultural festivals in Bangkok and Paris, said the ministry's head of cultural affairs, Tsutomu Nakagawa.

"It's all about mutual understanding," he said. "We want people abroad to know these kind of people exist in Japan and to feel close to them."

Dressed in a school uniform, Ms Fujioka, who was billed as an "adviser to a well-known shop that sells school-uniform-type clothes", said she loved her look, despite graduating from school a year ago. "I think I can continue to dress like this all my life. Age has nothing to do with it," she said. Misako Aoki, sporting a frilly pastel pink dress and described as "a charismatic leader who features Lolita fashions" said people of all ages "love clothes... from small girls to grandmothers".

"[We] would like to communicate and spread the cuteness [of Japanese fashion] by visiting many countries, and if they would come to like Japan as well." The ministry said the women would spend the next year travelling the world, promoting Japan.

Tokyo has recently shifted emphasis from extolling traditional arts to pop culture, under the rubric of "Cool Japan", a response to the growing worldwide interest in comics, animation and Japanese music.

Last year, the foreign ministry won cheers and sneers after naming the beloved Doraemon, an animated robotic cat from the 22nd century, "anime culture ambassador". One of Tokyo's most prestigious universities, Meiji, is building the world's largest manga archive near the city centre. The curator, Kaichiro Morikawa, says it shows official Japan is embracing what was until recently a subculture associated with schoolboys and nerds.

"The government, universities and think-tanks increasingly recognise that this is an important aspect of Japanese life, and that it is popular elsewhere," he said.

Some suspect the latest move is the brain child of the Prime Minister, Taro Aso, a famous manga fan. He thinks Japan's soft power, in the form of otaku (nerd) culture, might be used to promote the nation's interests.

But with his disapproval rating dipping to about 80 per cent after five months in office, the move is unlikely to save Mr Aso from political humiliation in elections later this year.