Nadejda Gadjeva
Papers of BAS. Humanities and Social Sciences
Vol. 12, 2025, No. 2
Comparative approaches to disinformation:
Challenges and prospective policy directions in Bulgaria and Japan
Nadejda Gadjeva
Abstract. This study offers a comparative analysis of the approaches adopted by Bulgaria and Japan to counter disinformation. It explores both countries’ vulnerability to disinformation, identifying specific foreign actors involved in its dissemination, the factors influencing public susceptibility, and the environment that facilitates its spread. The study also investigates the measures implemented by Bulgaria and Japan to combat disinformation, both independently and through international collaboration. Based on the findings, it discusses the challenges, areas for improvement, and lessons that Bulgaria and Japan could learn from each other. Finally, the study suggests specific project proposals that the two countries could implement to further enhance their resilience to disinformation.
Keywords: countering disinformation, Bulgarian disinformation countermeasures, Japanese disinformation countermeasures, comparative disinformation approaches
Papers of BAS. Humanities and Social Sciences
Vol. 7, 2020, No. 1
Comparing Japan’s public diplomacy in Europe:
The Japan Foundation in Bulgaria and France
Nadejda Gadjeva
Abstract. The study focuses on one of Japan’s main public diplomacy actors - the Japan Foundation and its cultural activities for increasing Japan’s cultural presence in Europe. The discussion puts emphasis on two European countries: France - a country where the Japan Foundation’s office has been established, and Bulgaria - where an office of the Japan Foundation does not exist, but the Japanese Embassy has been facilitating programs of the Foundation.
The paper examines the Japan Foundation’s initiatives in Bulgaria and France from the 1970s to 2018. It compares the Foundation’s projects in the two countries, highlighting both the strong and the insufficient points in terms of its cultural promotion activity. On the basis of the findings, the study provides a framework of suggestions with regard to the future projects of the Japan Foundation for further increase of Japan’s cultural presence in the areas.
Keywords: the Japan Foundation in Europe, Japanese public diplomacy, cultural promotion, cultural presence