This book aims to provide comprehensive empirical and theoretical studies of expanding fandom communities in East Asia through the commodification of Japanese, Korean and Chinese popular cultures in the digital era. Using a multidisciplinary approach including political economy, East Asian studies, political science, international relations concepts and history, this book focuses on a few research objectives. In terms of methodology, it is an area studies approach based on interpretative work, observation studies, policy and textual analysis. First, it aims to examine the closely intertwined relationship between the three major stakeholders in the iron triangle of production companies, consumers and states (i.e., role of government in policy promotion). Second, it studies the interpenetration, adaptation, innovation and hybridization of exogenous Western culture with traditional popular cultures in (North) East Asia. Third, it studies the influence of popular cultures and how cultural products resonate with a regional audience through collective consumption, contents reflective of normative values, the emotive and cognitive appeal of familiar images and social learning as well as peer effect found in fan communities. It then examines how consumption contributes to soft cultural influence and how governments leverage on its comparative advantages and cultural assets for commercial success and in the process augment national (cultural) influence. These questions will be discussed and analyzed and contextualized through the case studies of J-pop (Japanese popular culture), K-pop (Korean popular culture or Hallyu) and Chinese popular culture (including Mando-pop and Taiwanese popular culture).

Readership: Graduate students, researchers, and readers who are interested to learn more about the major features, dynamics of production and consumption and wider implications of popular culture in East Asia.

Lim Tai Wei is a Research Fellow at the East Asian Institute (EAI) National University of Singapore (NUS). His teaching interests include East Asian History, World History and Japanese popular culture-related courses. His research interests include energy and environmental histories of contemporary Japan and China. He is an area study specialist (on contemporary China and Japan) and a historian by training.

Lim Wen Xin is a Research Assistant at East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore. She received her Bachelor's degree with honors in Economics & Chinese Studies from National University of Singapore. She was a reporter with Sinchew Daily (2011).Her research interests include comparative studies of China and India, China's international relations and China's industrial development.

Ping Xiaojuan is a Research Assistant at East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore. Holding a Master of Science in International Political Economy from Nanyang Technological University, she served as data analyst at China Foreign Trade Centre (2011) and editor-in-chief at the Journal of International Trade and Crisscross (2008–2009). Her research interests include development economics, Chinese foreign policy, and China–ASEAN relations.