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Media_02


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Japanese media industries to incite hatred: online platforms, publishing, and TV shows 
Convenor:
Ayaka Löschke (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg)
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Discussant:
Masaaki Ito (Seikei University)
Format:
Panel
Section:
Media Studies
:
Auditorium 2 Franz Cumont
Sessions:
Saturday 19 August, -
Time zone: Europe/Brussels

Short Abstract:

Right-minded people continue to enjoy hateful content. Why do the Japanese industries tolerate or promote hateful content? How did the industries confront themselves with the problem? This panel deals with three major industries (SNS, publications, and TV) and counterprotest against the industries.

Long Abstract:

The hate speech phenomena that target mainly Korean ethnic minorities in Japan have attracted international scholarly attention and has been a central issue of Japanese studies. Many scholars confirmed that far-right movements in Japan have declined in recent years, because far-right organizations such as Zaitokukai have reduced in scale dramatically and far-right demonstrations have considerably decreased in number. One contributory factor is the Hate Speech Law from 2016 which has discouraged far-rightists from committing hate speech on the street. The recent pandemic is certainly another contributory factor for the decline of far-right demonstrations, insofar as far-rightists did not gather in person due to worries about getting infected. Although expressions that can be obviously classified as hate speech are disappearing from the street, various forms of media continue to circulate such expressions. During the recent pandemic, especially during periods of isolation, far-rightists have continued to enjoy hateful content at home, without physical contact to other like-minded people on the street. This raises one question: Why do the Japanese media industries tolerate or even promote hateful content, although the promotion of such content might lead to serious consequences? How did the Japanese society confront itself with the problem of hateful content?

Previous research has not given enough attention to the relations between “hate” industries. Hate speakers have extended their influence by using different major media at the same time. They often pursue the following “career path”: After standing out as famous YouTubers, they are invited as guests to TV shows that target right-wing viewers. They publish so-called “hate books”, a book genre that has encouraged racism and historical revisionism since the late 1990s. Their books become bestsellers.

To answer to the aforementioned questions, this panel analyzes (1) the relation of these industries, (2) the reasons why the industries thrive, and (3) countermeasures against the circulation of hateful content. The three papers of this panel deal with different media that are related to one another: a) online platforms, b) book publications, c) TV shows.

Accepted papers:

Session 1 Saturday 19 August, 2023, -
Panel Video visible to paid-up delegates