Paper short abstract:

Since the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident, there has been a clamour in the Japanese media for the realisation of nuclear power phase-out. This paper reveals why and how the Japanese media pose their antinuclear discourse by exploring the various arguments of major national newspapers.

Paper long abstract:

Since the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, there has been a clamour in the Japanese media for the realisation of nuclear power phase-out in the country. A number of mass media journalists and intellectuals, particularly from the humanities and the social sciences, have argued for this phase-out using newspapers, magazines, television programmes and blogs; in addition, hundreds of books have been written on the subject. Moreover, many public opinion polls have indicated that a clear majority of Japanese people seek the abolition of nuclear power stations at the earliest.

However, almost all intellectuals from the humanities and the social sciences, as well as the mass media, had been nuclear power advocates in the past and had not argued for nuclear power phase-out prior to the Fukushima incident. Staunch opposers of nuclear power stations before Fukushima disaster were freelance journalists, photographers, documentary film directors, pop musicians, civic movement activists, hippies, and a small minority of scientists. Therefore, it can be stated that the journalists from mass media and intellectuals from the abovementioned fields are newcomers to this movement.

Why and how do the mass media and academics pose their antinuclear discourse following FUKUSHIMA? How do their arguments differ from those of longtime antinuclear advocates such as freelance journalists, pop musicians and civic movement activists? Why has the denuclearisation policy not been introduced until now although the vast majority of Japanese people are in favour of it? In order to answer these research questions, this paper explores the possibilities and problems in the arguments of major national newspapers (Asahi Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, Tokyo Shimbun etc.) and major intellectuals from the humanities and the social sciences, such as Shin'ichi Nakazawa and Ayumu Yasutomi.

Paper short abstract:

This paper outlines techniques and impediments of critical reporting by Japanese mass media in the context of 'Fukushima.' Drawing from a qualitative interview study, the speaker discusses attempts to expand the limits of press freedom in Japan as well as setbacks under the Abe administration.

Paper long abstract:

In the wake of the Fukushima disaster in 2011, Japanese mass media received sharp criticism from inside and outside Japan. Among other aspects, scholars like Itō (2012) and Kopper (2012) accused them of downplaying the nuclear disaster and uncritically conveying the official announcements of the government and TEPCO. They moreover argued that the Fukushima disaster exposed a substantial degree of collusion between government, industry, and media in Japan. Nevertheless, examples of independent and critical reporting were recognized as well (Endō, 2012; Kopper, 2012). There is little empirical evidence, though, how journalists tried to renegotiate their editorial freedom after the '3.11' disaster. This paper fills in this gap by identifying techniques and impediments of critical media reporting in Japan based on narrative, in-depth interviews with journalists (n = 11) and expert interviews with accomplished journalism researchers and scholars of Japanese Studies (n = 5). The results show that journalists at Tokyo-based mass media were indeed confronted with considerable pressure to align to official narratives. The interviewees named internal and external factors that limited their professional leeway, such as different forms of self-censorship respectively a lack of "inner press freedom" (cf. Hanada, 2007), the influence of advertisers on the content of reporting, and nationalist sentiment in society after the disaster. They furthermore described different approaches to circumvent and defy these limiting factors, like focusing on the voices of those affected by the disaster or involved in mitigation efforts. By such counter-narratives, media created pressure on those responsible in politics, authorities, and TEPCO. The speaker discusses the results with regard to the Japanese press club system (Freeman, 2000) and to the scandal surrounding one of the Asahi Shinbun's revelations on the Fukushima disaster. The paper concludes by highlighting the scandal's consequences for investigative reporting in Japan and by assessing the Abe administration's recent efforts to crack down on press freedom.

Paper short abstract:

The paper analyses the messages of the TV drama and the eponymous children's book. They will also be compared on a text-linguistic level in terms of their intertexuality.

Paper long abstract:

Although it is characteristic of Japanese television dramas to tackle current social problems, there are very few dramas dealing directly with the 3.11 catastrophe, and most of them focus on the flood disaster. An exception to this pattern is the two-hour drama "Hula gâru to inu no Choko", broadcast by TV Tokyo on the fourth anniversary of the disaster. The drama is based on the eponymous children's book published in 2012 and tells the true story of a young Japanese hula dancer employed at the "Hawaiians" amusement park in the Fukushima prefecture. After the nuclear catastrophe, her family is evacuated from the exclusion zone and forced to leave their dog behind. The dancers perform hula dances in the refugee camps as a consolation to the victims of the disaster, and consequently embark on a nationwide tour to raise awareness about Fukushima. In the end, as a kind of a reward for the hula dancer, her dog Choco is rescued.

The viewers follow the story mainly from the perspective of the protagonist, however, the disparate stances of both victims and outsiders are also presented. The analysis aims to examine the messages that might be conveyed by the television drama and the children's book - and thus explicate the potential of the respective texts.

The television drama and the children's book, both of which are to be treated as "texts" in a wider sense, will also be compared on a text-linguistic level in terms of their intertextuality. The analysis will not only consider the linguistic aspects of the texts, but also the layout and photographs.

The question to be posed is: How can texts of this sort contribute to preserving memories of the catastrophe, as well as to presenting diverse strategies and ways to cope with it? The analysis of both case studies allows for a discussion about the possibilities and boundaries of treating politically charged topics within popular culture.