LettersFrom Tang China to the Samurai Blue, Japan’s global engagement has deep roots
Readers discuss how an outward-looking mentality can strengthen Japan, and the science of managing emotions
Many of these players have spent years overseas: 23 of Japan’s 26 players compete for clubs outside the country, some in Europe’s top clubs such as Bayern Munich and Liverpool. Japan has long drawn strength from engaging with the wider world, a pattern with deep historical roots.
More than 1,300 years ago, Japan sent around 19 diplomatic missions to Tang China. These kentoshi travelled to Changan, then the world’s most cosmopolitan city, to study governance, religion, technology and culture. Some went further still. Abe no Nakamaro joined a mission at 19, remained in China, and rose to become an official in the Tang imperial court – an early example of Japanese talent thriving abroad, much like today’s footballers.
Tang emperors impressed foreign envoys with lavish gifts, especially silk, prized across Eurasia. Yet official histories note that Japanese behaved differently from other dignitaries: instead of keeping the treasures, they exchanged them for books. The manuscripts and sutras they carried home helped shape Japan’s political and cultural foundations, many preserved today in Nara’s Shosoin.
In recent decades, however, Japan’s outward instinct has faded. According to the Open Doors 2025 Report, only 13,814 Japanese students studied in the United States in 2024–2025 – far fewer than India’s 363,019, China’s 265,919 or South Korea’s 42,293.