Margo Hotel, Depok, West Java, Indonesia September 27 – 29, 2017

2017 PROGRAM BOOK

U N I V E R S I T A S I N D O N E S I A D E P O K , 2 0 1 7

APRISH 2017 PROGRAM BOOK

Margo Hotel, Depok, West Java, Indonesia September 27 – 29, 2017

U N I V E R S I T A S I N D O N E S I A D E P O K , 2 0 1 7

2017 PROGRAM BOOK

© 2017.http://aprish.ui.ac.id

The 2nd Asia-Pacific Research in Social Sciences and Humanities: Culture and Society for Local and Global Sustainable Development

Secretariat: Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia 16424 Website: aprish.ui.ac.id • email: aprish2@ui.ac.id • Telp./Fax.: +62217863528-29/+62217270038

CULTURE AND SOCIETIES FOR LOCAL & GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT I I I

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLEOFCONTENTS III

1

3

5

7

9

39

4549

71

WELCOME SPEECH RECTOR, UNIVERSITAS INDONESIA

WELCOME SPEECH DEAN, FACULTY OF HUMANITIES, UNIVERSITAS INDONESIA

ABOUT UNIVERSITAS INDONESIA

ABOUT APRiSH 2017

APRiSH 2017 SCHEDULE AND PROGRAMS

APRiSH 2017 SPEAKERS

FLOOR PLAN AND MAP OF MARGO HOTEL

APRiSH 2017 PRESENTERS

APRiSH 2017 CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

APRiSH: THE 2ND ASIA-PACIFIC IN SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES – UNIVERSITAS INDONESIA CO NFERENCE 3 2

4 ExecutiveBoardCompositionandFirmRisk WildanSaidi,VeraDiyanty

RoomI Panel6I(ECON)

1 ANALYSISOFVALUEADDEDTAXTREATMENTOFUNITLINKLIFEINSURANCESERVICES

MuhammadRavinAlhakim(M)

2AnalysisoftheTreatmentofValueAddedTaxontheDeliveryofCoalbyContractorofWorkAgreementforCoalMiningEnterprisesGenerationIII

(GenerationIIIPKP2B)

PungkasHadiwibowo,IndrayagusSlamet

3 BranchProfitTaxImpositiononTransferofParticipatingInterestintheUpstreamOilandGasIndustry FitriaYuliawatiAnsorriyah

4AnalysisofInternalControlSystemofTheReservedFundManagementat

IndonesiaMissionAbroad(ACaseStudyinTheMinistryofForeignAffairsofTheRepublicofIndonesia)

NiKomangHerawati,BinsarSimanjuntak

RoomJ Panel6J(HUM)

1 HistoryandWomeninIstanaJiwa(2012):ACriticalApproachtoTraumaticRealism

NungkiHeriyati,RirisSarumpaet(M)

2 StateIdeologyPropagandaAboutJapaneseWomenforPeopleMobilizationinJavaduringJapaneseColonializationEra1943-1945 EndahHayuniWulandari

3 MenonWomen:PerceivingIndependentWomenandDecidingaLifePartner LaviniaDisaWinona,Nur'ainiAzizah

4 KaradjinanAmaiSatia:TheDevelopmentandEmpowermentofWomenEconomyinKotoGadang(1911–1944) SriPujianti

RoomK Panel6K(HUM)

1 RevitalisationOfTheLegoLegoOralTraditionofTheKUIPeopleinAlorIsland,EastNusaTenggara ObingKatubi(M)

2 AnalysisofBoyolali'sBatikGluguthroughStructuralandMimeticApproach AriqMuhammadSalim,HerditoSandiPratama

3 ModificationasAStrategyofRevitalizationofBukePalangPintuBetawi AnitaAstiawatiNingrum,M.Yoesoef

4 ChangesandStrategiesofSurvivaloftheKatoPasambahanOralTraditiononNagariTalangAnuPeople WiliSandra

RoomL Panel6L(HUM)

1 IslamicShariaLawsinAcéh(RealityandPublicPerceptiontowardTheImplementationofIslamicShariaLawinTheCapitalOfAcéh,BandaAcéh. AbdulManan(M)

2 CommunalViolenceAgainstTheAhmadiyahAndTheRohingya:TheUncertaintyinTheSearchOfIdentity.

DewiHermawatiResminingayu

3 CriticalStudyofMethodsofMUIFatwaDeterminationaboutShiathroughMaqasidShariahofMuhammadAl-Tahiribn‘Ashur

NaufalSyahrinWibowo,Naupal

4 BetweenJaredanNyatane:TheEarlyStudyonStoriesoftheLelembutbeforeAnalyzingtheRitualofNgalapBerkahinGunungKawi SunuWasono

RoomM Panel6M(HUM)

1 Bringing‘JapaneseMall’toIndonesia:ASemioticsAnalysisonAEONMallBSDCity

HimawanPrata,TommyChristomy(M)

2NarrativeStrategiesandInterpretationsofEmotionsintheWorksofPost-IslamicGenerationChildWriters:AnAnalysisonThreeSeriesofKecilKecil

PunyaKaryaLisdaLiyanti

3 MythsBehindAnti-AgingAdvertisementsinIndonesianMagazines YasmineAnnabelPanjaitan

4 ProblematizingUrbanRegeneration:AnAnalysisofCekTokoSebelah(2016) ShuriMariasihGiettyTambunan

RoomN Panel6N(HUM)

1 THEPOWERPRACTICEINRELATIONALDIMENSIONOFVIRTUALREFERENCESERVICES AriefWicaksono(M)

2 TheRoleofNationalLibraryofIndonesiainPreservingCulturalHeritage DekaAnggawira,LukiWijayanti

3 KnowledgeTransferinIntroductoryProgramActivityatUniversitasPrasetiyaMulyaLibrary YayanMardianahAfandi

Bringing ‘Japanese Mall’ to Indonesia: A Semiotics Analysis on AEON Mall BSD City

Himawan Pratama, Tommy Christomy

Faculty of Humanities

Universitas Indonesia

himawan@ui.ac.id, himawan.pratama@gmail.com

Abstracts

The expansion of Japan-made content industry products promoted by the Cool Japan

Initiative to Indonesia enjoys a relatively positive response from Indonesian people. This was

also the case for AEON Mall BSD City (AEON BSD). Using the tagline "From the Heart of

Japan", AEON BSD seems to construct its "Japanese identity" as the main selling point.

Almost every space in AEON BSD is designed to create the sensation of experiencing

“Japanese Mall” to its customers.

However, what kind of Japanese identity AEON BSD tries to construct remains a

question. Therefore, by observing various signifiers of Japanese identity within the shopping

center, this paper will first analyze the kind of identity that is being constructed by AEON

BSD. Secondly, given its commercial nature, this paper will also try to identify the target

market profile of the Japanese identity construction brought by the retailer. This will be done

by analyzing the code governing the use of signifiers conveying Japanese identity. The data

for this research were obtained through field research and literature studies. The answers to

these two questions will not only clarify the practice of identity commodification through

AEON BSD, but also will explain who or which part of Indonesian society are being targeted

by the Cool Japan Initiative.

Keywords: AEON Mall BSD City, Cool Japan Initiative, Identity of Japan, Indonesian

Market

1. Introduction

Ask any Indonesian in urban cities and there would be a high chance of them knowing

that Carrefour is from France, and Lotte Shopping Avenue is from South Korea. The

increasing familiarity of global companies and their products is an example of globalization

at its best. The opening of AEON Mall BSD City Shopping Center (hereinafter referred to as

AEON BSD), the first branch of AEON Mall in Serpong in mid-2015, then, is part of it. One

distinguishing point of the presence of AEON BSD is how the shopping center consistently

carries the identity flag of the country of origin which is Japan. Referring back to Carrefour

and Lotte, Indonesians may know their origins, but would be clueless on what makes

Carrefour "French" or Lotte “South Korean”. This results from the absence of their home

country’s identity as part of the commodity offered in their brands. AEON BSD, however,

noticeably attaches Japan's identity as part of a strategy to attract consumers by carrying the

tagline "From the Heart of Japan".

Various Japanese identity signifiers can visibly be found around AEON BSD, from

Japanese-language information boards (other than Indonesian and English), to the products

offered. AEON BSD is a summary of how Indonesian people generally imagine Japan, as

represented through their “traditional” architectural and interior designs of the food court

section (referred to as Food Culture) combined with the image of popular-modern culture

(such as Hello Kitty, Doraemon, Pokémon, etc.) at Kawaiian Café and other AEON BSD

corners. The blend of these two images of Japan, as a modern country that also maintains

tradition, is a picture of Japan that is widely understood in Indonesia (see Pratama: 2015).

The sense of “Japan” is strong with the existence of Japanese culinary products which names

are highly familiar to Indonesian ears, but was difficult to obtain inside the country in past

times, such as ramen. Japanese culture enthusiasts in Indonesia, for example, can say that

they are now able to fulfill their dream to consume “authentic Japanese ramen” from various

stores located together in the Ramen Village area, without the need to even go to Japan.

AEON BSD was brought to Indonesia through the Cool Japan Initiatives as part of

Japan’s business expansion into countries categorized as "the emerging markets". Its parent

company, AEON Mall Co., Ltd., is part of MCIP Holdings, a consortium of Japanese

companies with a mission to popularize Japan’s content industry (including entertainment

and popular culture) to international market. The participation of AEON Mall Co., Ltd. in

this consortium is through the provision of venue or stage to display various products of the

Japanese content industry. Since its existence in Indonesia, AEON BSD has often hosted

various Japanese cultural events initiated by the members of MCIP Holdings, such as

Yoshimoto Indonesia.

The relationship between AEON Mall group and the Cool Japan Initiatives leads us to

understand that AEON Mall actively participates in shaping Japan's image abroad as a "cool"

country. It is worth to note though, that in our previous study, we found facts that Cool Japan

Initiatives has yet to provide a clear definition of what was meant to be "cool" in their policy

(Pratama: 2017). Therefore, there are variations of the embodiment of the "cool" identity

being built by the Japanese government, from traditional cultural products, popular cultures,

to the beauty of nature. Kenji Ota (2016) criticizes the lack of definition of "cool" by

mentioning that all Japanese products which are marketable overseas can be categorized as

"cool". Regardless of the criticisms received by Cool Japan Initiatives in its efforts to

construct a nation brand, it is interesting to see what kind of "coolness" AEON BSD, as part

of the policy, has to offer.

Through mapping various Japanese identity signifiers within AEON BSD, this paper

will first analyze the kind of identity being constructed by the shopping center. Afterwards,

we will consider the commercial nature of the identity of Japan brought by AEON BSD, and

to whom the identity is targeted. The answers to these two questions will not only clarify the

practice of identity commodification through AEON BSD, but will also explain who or

Picture 1. Front View of AEON Mall BSD City

which social category is targeted as the target market by the Cool Japan Initiatives in

Indonesia.

2. Theoretical Background and Research Methods

In a communication process, sign is the medium used to convey a message. A

communication process involves at least two parties, the message sender who encodes the

message, and the receiver who decodes them. For the decoding and encoding process to

proceed smoothly, both parties must agree on the rules applicable to the signs called the code.

Daniel Chandler (2007) explains the code as a condition for signs to be produced and

interpreted, and to achieve the ideal communication, the two sides must understand each

other's code.

A business trade in its nature is also a communication process; certain codes must be

agreed between the seller and the buyer. From semiotic perspectives, AEON BSD can be

viewed as a space filled with signs representing Japan. The use of signs displayed there to

represent Japan, therefore, is the medium of message. Thus, considering its function in

identifying the parties involved in the process of buying and selling, the analysis of the code

is indispensable in explaining to whom AEON BSD targets or sells its Japanese identity.

This study will, therefore, begin the analysis by mapping various signs AEON BSD

uses in representing Japan. This first phase of analysis is intended to describe the

characteristics of Japanese identity signifiers found in AEON BSD. It is conducted through

field observation with focus on four types of signs, namely space design, verbal signifiers,

products offered, and location selection. In the second phase of analysis, we conduct an

analysis of the code regulating the use of the four types of signs. Understanding the code is

necessary in drawing an analysis of the target market of AEON BSD City. In doing so, we

use the Roman Jakobson’s model of communication as the foundation for analyzing the code,

and the target receiver of the message sent by AEON BSD.

3. Research Findings: Four Types of Signs

3.1. Space Design

For Indonesian consumers, witnessing the Japanese design of spaces in AEON BSD

may not be a mind-blowing brand-new experience. Through intense exposure of Japan

images through media, Indonesians are quite familiar with the country which then forms a

general knowledge of what is meant to be “Japan”. How Indonesians react to the designs

would be a sense of fulfillment of expectations.

Indonesian media have continuously

projected Japan in a paradoxical image; a

developed country that continues to maintain

its tradition. When asked about what they

think of Japan, Indonesians provided a

combination of images of cherry blossoms

(beautiful nature), kabuki (traditional art),

technology, Doraemon (popular culture), and

giant corporations (see Pratama: 2015). How

AEON BSD chose to decorate their spaces by

bringing forward those two polarized images is in line with

Japanese stereotypes that Indonesians have come to accept.

The interior of Food Culture zone, for example, is dominated by wooden furniture

with natural colors. The use of wood and bamboo in their architectural and interior designs is

Picture 2. Front view of Food Culture

one of the typical traditional Japanese designs (Iwatate, Conran, & Nakasa, 2004). As shown

in picture 2 and picture 3, the front face and

seating areas of the Food Culture are designed

to be minimalist and in harmony with the

wooden themed furniture. The same

atmosphere takes place in twenty-one

restaurants and cafés within the Food Culture

zone. Although each restaurant and café

features its own signature through customized

store design, signboard, or culinary

presentation, its basic design remains in the

"big concept" of Food Culture which is

wooden impressions. Imprinting Japan as a

nation close to nature is a familiar and

accepted discourse by Indonesian society (see Anwar: 2004, Rosidi: 2003).

Nevertheless, not every single restaurant in the

Food Culture zone is designed with traditional Japanese

ornaments. Amongst the dominance of wood panels and

blocks of furniture, visitors are easily drawn to the

Kawaiian Café, which, unlike other resataurant and cafes

in the Food Culture zone, is designed using bright flashy

colors (pink, purple, orange). Japanese popular culture

enthusiasts in Indonesia are widely familiar with the

Japanese word kawaii (cute); another image associated

with Japan, this time, as part of their popular culture. In

its official social networking site, Kawaiian Café

describes itself as " the ultimate place for you to

experience Japanese contents (pusat informasi dan

tempat untukmu merasakan langsung konten-konten

Jepang) ". What they refer to "Japanese contents" are

Japanese content industry products promoted through the

Cool Japan Initiatives. A variety of products and themed

performances from iconic Japanese popular culture

characters, such as Doraemon and Hello Kitty, are the

main attractions of Kawaiian Café.

The existence of Kawaiian Café inside the Food Culture zone presents a unique blend

between traditional and popular (modern) images of Japan. Although the blend of the two

images are seemingly in contrast, the coexistence of these images are accepted by Indonesian

consumers without confusion. This strengthens the notion that the design of the Food Culture

zone as representations of Japan is in accordance with the expectations of Indonesian people.

In addition to Food Culture, other areas of AEON BSD, such as Café Street and

Ramen Village, also confirm the blend of two images of Japan. Café Street, located at the

forefront of AEON BSD, uses another traditional Japanese element as its appeal, which is a

Japanese-style garden. Similar to Food Culture, Café Street is dominated by wooden

ornaments. As shown in picture 6, a pond lined

with rocks is stretched along the front, its sides

decorated with ornamental plants, creating a

typical Japanese-style garden. The traditional

appearance of Café Street stands contrast with

"modern" cafes and restaurants such as Starbucks,

Picture 5. Kawaiian Café

Picture 3. Seating area of Food Culture

Caffe Bene and Papa Jack Asian Cuisine along its

sides.

There are several other space designs in

AEON BSD that can easily be perceived as signifiers of Japanese identity by Indonesians, for

example, Sakura Park, the garden decorative lights with colors resembling cherry blossoms.

Situated outside near the parking area at front, once the daylight begins to fade, a series of

lights inside it light up and form an attractive image of a "cherry blossom garden". Another

space is the Food Carnival area which is equipped with a sitting room with tatami (Japanese

straw mat made of straw).

The similarities of each of these spaces is how they embody images that are already

popular and familiar in Indonesia; there are no new images. Then what makes them different

with, for example, the design of other pre-existing Japanese restaurants in Indonesia in

general (which some are even owned by local businessmen)? It is in how AEON BSD makes

these Japanese images the main "attraction", unlike other shopping centers which usually

display Japanese images as temporary attraction. In AEON BSD, the utilization of images of

Japan through the design of the spaces are spread in all four floors, thus creating a thrilling

sensation of experiencing Japan. The use of the Japanese images confirms AEON BSD's

positioning as a "Japanese mall", not only because AEON's parent company is from Japan,

but also because AEON BSD images itself as an authentic Japanese, or native, Japanese

image provider.

3.2. Language (Verbal Signifiers)

Our previous study found that there are many Japanese vocabularies such as food

names being familiar among young people in Indonesia.

Nowadays in most cases it is not even necessary to add

explanations to Japanese food names such as ramen,

tempura, or sushi when they are used in Indonesian sentences

(see Pratama: 2015).

At AEON BSD, we observed that Japanese writings

are used widely. One of the first things that caught our

attention was an information board that contains AEON

BSD's overall map with a large title in English,

"Information", accompanied by its translation in Japanese, "

ご 案 内" ("Go-annai ") written in a smaller font size. This

founding intrigued us to ask the question of the possible

target readers of these Japanese characters, whether it is

Japanese people or Indonesians. Before we attained an

answer, though, we were provoked with several more signs

written in Japanese characters scattered throughout the

Food Culture area.

All restaurants in the Food Culture zone use the same format in their respective

storefront designs, using Japanese character with a very large font size, followed by its

transliteration in alphabet with much smaller font size below. An example can be seen in

picture 7 which shows the facade of a takoyaki counter in Food Culture. At the top of the

store is written "た こ 焼 き" with bold black letters. Below the Japanese characters, there is

“TAKOYAKI” written in the alphabet which serves as the guide to read the Japanese

characters. Both the writing in Japanese and the alphabet are not the name of the restaurant

but the explanation of what the main product is served by the restaurant/counter. The

Picture 6. Café Street

Picture 7. Takoyaki counter at Food Culture

difference in font sizes intrigued us to again question the target readers of the text. Indonesian

people are familiar with Japan and its culture. However, it is also a fact that the number of

people who can read and understand Japanese characters are limited. Then can it be

concluded that the script is reserved for visitors who speak Japanese? As a marketing

strategy, this seems to be unreasonable.

Claus Ebster and Marion Garaus (2015) introduced the concept of visual

merchandising as "the art of and science of presenting products in the most visually appealing

way." (Ebster and Garaus: 2015, 83). This concept can help us understand the existence of

Japanese characters in almost every corner of AEON BSD. Various Japanese signifiers are

spread across the corner of AEON BSD, one of which is verbal signifiers (language).

Indonesian as the target market may not be able to read Japanese characters, but familiarity

with elements of Japanese culture makes them able to identify Japanese characters. The use

of Japanese characters in enormous size has the effect of presenting or strengthening the

"Japanese atmosphere" that is being built. Therefore, the use of Japanese characters in Food

Culture is not just to be read as a source of information about the types of food provided, but

also to be enjoyed as part of the decoration.

As seen in picture 7, for Food Culture visitors who cannot read Japanese, the large

sign of "た こ や き" serves as an attraction to come to the restaurant. From a distance,

visitors will be able to see the existence of Japanese characters and alphabets in an adjacent

position. However, since the size of the alphabet is much smaller than the Japanese version of

the script, visitors are encouraged to take a closer look. This means visitors are also "forced"

to approach the restaurant. As visitor approach, the opportunity for restaurants/counters to

attract visitors comes. Here we can see that verbal signifiers can also provide marketing

effects, even when their meaning is not understood by potential customers. However, these

verbal signifiers will not function unless other signifiers, such as room design, as well as a

strong Japanese brand, are also present.

The presence of Japanese characters at AEON BSD also have a role in asserting

AEON BSD's image as an authentic

Japanese image provider. Picture 8

shows the front view of Ramen

Village, an area devoted to ramen

specialty restaurants. At the forefront

of Ramen Village are two Japanese

characters ( ラ 麺 , read: ramen)

written in circles. Underneath, it is

written in Japanese characters "ラ ー

メ ン ビ レ ッ ジ", and below it

followed by its transliteration,

"Ramen Village". At the very

bottom, restaurant names are written almost entirely in Japanese without any explanation or

transliteration. If we compare the difference in the font size between the words, and also how

the various Japanese language characters are present without the need to be given explanatory

information, then we can conclude that the designs of such verbal signifiers are in line with

the concept of visual merchandising by Ebster and Garaus.

3.3. Products Offered

Picture 8. Front view of Ramen Village

In the press release dated on April 1, 2015, AEON CO., LTD. and AEON Mall Co.,

Ltd. as the parent company of AEON BSD stated that the most favored feature of AEON

BSD is the largest food court in the entire BSD region, with 140 restaurants. This food court

is divided into four zones, namely Food Culture, Café Street, Food Carnival, and Ramen

Village. Each zone is uniquely designed, showing the images of Japan from different sides.

What they all have in common is the positioning of Japanese culinary as the main attraction.

This becomes more special with the presence of many Japanese restaurants with the status of

"newly arrived in Indonesia" (the first branch in Indonesia). Del.Immo, EDOSAWA, Hakata

Ichibandori, Ichibankan, Kushiya Monogatari, MATSUYAMA, OCARAKA, O-GI, Piza

Doki, Sakura Juice Bar, TOKUGAWA, Tetsunanbe Gyoza, Uchino Shokudo,

YAMAKAWAYA, YAMATOYA, Ebisoba Ichigen, and Ramen Kanbe, are among those

Japanese restaurants that opened their first branch in AEON BSD. The existence of these

restaurants makes AEON BSD not only authentic, but also exclusive in terms of its Japanese

products.

AEON BSD also has their own

supermarket on the Ground Floor, where the

first sight visitors see upon entering is the

expanse area of sushi displays and many other

Japanese specialties. They also provide a

variety of food ingredients that are "typical

Japanese", from seasonings to instant noodles,

labeled "EXCLUSIVE AT AEON JAPAN

QUALITY". Among the rows of available

foods, several are given a "NON HALAL

FOOD" sign including sauces and processed

meat products. The label attachment indicates

the transparency about the products offered while affirming AEON BSD's image as a

provider of exclusive Japanese products that are not found elsewhere in Indonesia. This

further confirms the identity of the Japan built by AEON BSD.

3.4. Location

AEON BSD located in BSD City, is a residential and business area developed by

Sinar Mas Land, Ltd. in Serpong, Tangerang Selatan since 2003. AEON Annual Report 2016

mentions that the selection of BSD City as the first AEON branch location in Indonesia is

due to its position as a suburban area of Jakarta that “attracts attention as one of the new town

development projects”. They estimate to reach approximately 1.31 million potential

customers (AEON Mall Co., Ltd., 2016, 2015). With the tagline "Big City. Big Opportunity",

BSD City accommodates facilities in which we can estimate the economy power of the upper

middle-class people living in it. The image is also affirmed by the limited number of public

transportation to reach AEON BSD. In its access guide, they explicitly explains that to reach

the shopping center, one must take a taxi or ojek. The inexistence of cheap public

transportation such as angkot indicates that AEON BSD targets the social class who have

their own vehicles or are not bothered to pay more for transportation.

The selection of BSD City as the location of AEON BSD is certainly done by

considering its market potential. Eliott Gaines (2006) states that when space contributes to

the formation of meaning, then space should be treated too as a sign in the semiotic sense. In

the case of AEON BSD, we cannot ignore that the space it occupies forms significant

meanings to it. BSD City’s status as an upper middle-class area affects the meaning of the

objects around it. Therefore, AEON BSD creates its image as the exclusive provider of

Picture 9. AEON Dept. Store (First Floor)

Japanese products for people with the economy power equivalent of those who inhabit BSD

City.

4. Analysis of the Code

The analysis of the four types of signs (spatial design, verbal signifiers, products, and

locations) clarify how AEON BSD exploits the market demands for Japanese products. As

discussed earlier, the image as the center of Japanese product providers alone will not be

enough to establish the brand of AEON BSD. Therefore, through the various signifiers

displayed and offered, AEON BSD City confirms the message of its brand as an “authentic”,

"high-quality" (Japanese quality), and "exclusive" (not available elsewhere) Japanese product

provider.

The next question is to whom would the message be delivered. Ideally, a company

will try to grab market share as wide as possible. However, a realistic target must be set.

There should be a primary target of AEON BSD's message as "authentic", "high-quality", and

"exclusive". To answer this question, the Roman Jakobson communication model can be

used as a reference in analyzing. In the Roman Jakobson communication model, in order for

the message from the sender to the receiver to function properly, both parties must agree on

the rules (code) of message delivery. As described in the previous section, without any code,

the process of message interpretation is impossible. The code describes how senders and

receivers should apply to ensure the communication process. Understanding code also

enables us to analyze who the sender and receiver is. For example, if someone uses honorific

style of speech in a communication, then we can analyze who and to whom the person is

speaking.

With the above assumption, we can then treat the image of Japan created by AEON

BSD as a communication process. AEON BSD itself acts as the sender. It sends a message of

the brand as the "authentic", "quality" and "exclusive" Japanese product provider. Who then

is the receiver of this message? Who needs this kind of message or branding? The first

indicator is authenticity. Japan-themed products, especially culinary products, have long been

highly marketable in Indonesia. Many of these types of products are even produced locally by

local businessmen such as Hoka Hoka Bento, Gokana Teppan, or Ichiban Sushi. These

products can be categorized as "not authentic" in the sense that it is not a "genuine" Japanese

product. However, even with their inauthenticity, these brands grew and is now widely

known in Indonesia. This shows that not all Japanese culinary lovers in Indonesia need the

label of "authentic". So, if the fulfillment of the need for the authenticity of a product should

be redeemed at a cost that is not inexpensive, then we can deduce that the message of

"authentic" is addressed to those who can afford it, i.e. those with strong purchasing ability.

The second is "high-quality". Even though the "quality" implied by AEON BSD is not

clearly defined, the myth (as Roland Barthes’ definition, see Barthes: 1972) that Japanese

products equal high-quality is widespread in Indonesia. However, just as the need for

authenticity, the need for quality is not a priority for some people. Various street vendors of

Japanese culinary are spread in major cities in Indonesia. They offer the thrill of enjoying

Japanese culinary at an affordable price. However, the quality of the foods offered by these

street vendors for some people might be considered disappointing. These people who are not

satisfied with the street-vendor quality services are those to be assumed as AEON BSD's

target message as a "high-quality" Japanese product consumer. With quality comes price, and

so those who can meet the needs of quality are those who can redeem its price.

The last is "exclusive". This word indicates that AEON BSD is the only place to find

certain products. As the sole provider, people who are willing to experience an exclusive

product must also "struggle" to achieve it, including the distance to reach it. As explained

above, there is no public transportation available to directly reach AEON BSD (see How to

AEON Mall BSD City Tangerang, 2017). In other words, the "struggle" to achieve AEON

BSD's "exclusive" and “high-quality” products involve funds that may not be considered

cheap for some people.

The analysis above shows that "authentic", "high-quality", and "exclusive" are not

universal messages addressed to everyone. The code of these messages does not apply to the

society categorized as the lower class. The "rules" that require a product to have "authentic",

"high-quality", and "exclusive" characteristics only apply among those capable of redeeming

those three characteristics, namely the upper middle class. The findings of this research are in

line with Ariel Heryanto's study of East Asian popular culture consumption in Indonesia.

According to Heryanto (2014), consumption of popular culture of East Asia is dominated by

"urban middle-class young women". Although in his research, Heryanto focuses on the

spread of Korean pop (popular culture from South Korea), but he also explained that the

spread of Korean Pop cannot be separated from the spread of other popular East Asian

cultures, especially Japan and Taiwan, which had already come in and received an outpouring

common among young people in Indonesia.

Through the analysis of the code of the "communication" process between AEON

BSD and its target customers, it appears that the upper middle class is the target receiver of

the message. The setting of Indonesia upper middle class as the intended message receiver is

in line with AEON BSD’s, and Japanese products’ branding as a high-quality product.

5. Closing: AEON BSD as Cool Japan Representation

AEON Mall Co., Ltd. as part of MCIP Holding funded by Cool Japan Fund is in the

mission of promoting Japanese-made contents. Cool Japan Fund was founded by the

initiative of the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, Japan within the framework of the

Cool Japan Initiative. As an effort to find a solution to Japan's economic stagnation, the Cool

Japan Initiative focuses on building markets for the Japanese content industry abroad. As part

of the initiative, AEON BSD acts as one of the representations of the Cool Japan Initiative in

Indonesia. The discussion above leads to a conclusion that AEON BSD seeks to construct the

meaning of Japanese identity as the provider of high quality products. However, quality does

not come without cost. Therefore, we can say that AEON BSD targets certain groups of the

society, which are those who seek and have the resources to consume “authentic”. “high-

quality”, and “exclusive” products, i.e. the upper middle-class society. This can be considered

a reasonable marketing strategy.

Considering its position as a representation of the Cool Japan Initiative, to some

extent, the practice of constructing Japan's image and Japanese products by AEON BSD is an

example of how Cool Japan Initiative attempts to build overseas markets for its products. As

an economic policy, rather than building a market that is too wide to reach each and every

social-economy group, the Cool Japan Initiative focuses more on developing economically

viable markets. In other words, not all Indonesian people are the targets of the Cool Japan

Initiative, but it is not a problem since just a specific group are considered the main potential

consumers.

References

AEON Co., Ltd., AEON Mall Co., Ltd. (2015). AEON News Release (April 01, 2015).

Retrieved from

https://www.aeon.info/common/images/en/pressroom/imgsrc/150401R_1.pdf

AEON Mall Co., Ltd. (2016). AEON Mall Annual Report 2016. Retrieved from

http://aeonmall.com/en/ir/annual/download/index.html

Anwar, S. D. (2004, December). Cara Berpikir Orang Jepang: Sebuah Perspektif Budhisme.

Makara, Sosial Humaniora, 120-125.

Barthes, R. (1972). Mythologies. New York: The Noonday Press.

Cara ke AEON Mall BSD City Tangerang. (2017, July 15). Retrieved from e-transportasi:

http://www.etransportasi.com/2017/02/cara-ke-aeon-mall-bsd-city-tangerang.html

Chandler, D. (2007). Semiotics: The Basics. London: Routledge.

Danesi, M. (2004). Messages, Signs, and Meanings: A Basic Textbook in Semiotics and

Communication Theory 3rd Edition. Toronto: Canadian Scholars’s Press Inc.

Ebster, C., & Garaus, M. (2015). Store Design and Visual Merchandising: Creating Store

Space That Encourages Buying (2nd ed.). New York: Business Expert Press, LLC.

Gaines, E. (2006). Communication and the Semiotics Space. Journal of Creative

Communications, 1(2), 173-181.

Heryanto, A. (2014). Identitas dan Kenikmatan. (E. Sasono, Trans.) Jakarta: Kepustakaan

Populer Gramedia.

Iwatate, M., Conran, T., & Nakasa, T. (2004). Eat. Work. Shop. : New Japanese Design.

Hongkong: Periplus Publisher.

Oswald, L. R. (2012). Marketing Semiotics: Signs, Strategies, and Brand Value. Oxford:

Oxford University Press.

Parramore, L., & Gong, C. F. (2009). Japan Home Inspirational Design Ideas. Singapore:

Tuttle Publishing.

Pratama, H. (2015). Indoneshia ni Okeru Nihon Kenkyuu no Keikou. Ajia Nihon Kenkyuu

Netwaaku Dainikai Kaigi Houkokusho. 1, pp. 49-55. Kyoto: Kyoto Daigaku Kokusai

Kouryuu Sentaa Jimukyoku.

Pratama, H. (2015). Jepang Rasa Indonesia: Konstruksi Identitas Kejepangan dalam Novel

Indonesia Bertema Jepang melalui Penggunaan Bahasa Jepang. Prosiding Seminar

Nasional Sosiolinguistik dan Dialektologi: Kajian Sosiolinguistik dan Dialektologi

dalam Konteks Kemasyarakatan dan Budaya di Indonesia (pp. 165-175). Depok:

Departemen Linguistik Fakultas Ilmu Pengetahuan Budaya Universitas Indonesia in

cooperation with Pusat Penelitian Kemasyarakatan dan Budaya Fakultas Ilmu

Pengetahuan Budaya Universitas Indonesia.

PT. Bumi Serpong Damai. (n.d.). BSD City Company Profile. PT. Bumi Serpong Damai.

Rosidi, A. (2003). Orang dan Bambu Jepang. Jakarta: Pustaka Jaya.