Event-Led Branding in Japan : The Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Expo 2025 Osaka

The purpose of this article is to examine and compare the main features and impacts of eventled branding in Japan (2013-2025). To this end, it analyzes the scope and rationales(s) of inward (domestic)- and outward (international/global)-oriented branding. The paper focuses on the cases of Tokyo (2020 Olympics) and Osaka (Expo 2025). The article argues that whilst mega-events serve as a conduit of public diplomacy to potentially update external perceptions/imagery of a host nation/city (i.e., through global media coverage/visibility), long-term branding/rebranding efforts ought not to be solely anchored to their (successive) hosting. Furthermore, it is argued that even though mega-events are markers of modernity, evidence does not support a causal link between mega-events and the foundation of a new (national) economy. The article focuses on the Japanese cities of Tokyo and Osaka to advance empirical and analytical underpinnings in the fields of political economy of mega-events and cultural economics, particularly vis-à-vis long-term (nation/city) branding. The originality of this article centers on providing up-to-date empirical evidence and potential branding pathways from an East Asian host city/nation, in both pre-pandemic and post-pandemic contexts.