The purpose of this study is to examine the characteristics of Japan’s changing trade policy and the increasing role of cultural industries in the process of expanding trade in services. Since the 2000s, trade in services has become increasingly important. Taking this into consideration, this article explains how various policies, from the Koizumi regime’s ‘Visit Japan’ campaign to Kishida’s ‘Cool Japan’ strategy, were promoted. The analysis reveals that Japan’s economy grew rapidly from the late 1960s and stabilized through the 1970s. However, in the early 1980s, domestic demand stagnated, and as a result, Japan became increasingly dependent on exports for economic growth. Since the 2000s, the country has entered an era of cultural consumption based on the economic strength and purchasing power accumulated over the years, as well as more leisure time. As a result, the cultural industry and other service industries have grown amid these changes, and the scale of trade in services has expanded. Despite a huge budget deficit of 35.6 billion yen, the Japanese government is still pursuing a trade strategy linked to the cultural industry. They are doing this to achieve market leadership in the international community, as well as to expand and maintain its influence.