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Paper short abstract:

In 1927, the Japanese press reported and commented intensively on the Nanjing incident. Textual analysis shows that the incident, rather than changing media narratives, was used by writers in support of their already formed views on China and Japan’s China policy.

Paper long abstract:

So far, research on the Nanjing incident of March 1927 has assessed its impact on Sino-Japanese relations by stressing two kinds of effects. The first one is the diplomatic pressure Japan and other foreign powers exerted on Chiang Kai-shek’s faction in the Nationalist Party to have it break off its already shaky alliance with the communists. Such international pressure was an external factor contributing to Chiang’s decision to strike the communists on 12 April. The second effect attributed to the incident is a surge of public criticism within Japan against Foreign Minister Shidehara, who was accused of negligence in the protection of nationals abroad. Dissatisfaction for the outcome of Shidehara’s policy of “nonresistance” raised expectations for a more assertive China policy under the Tanaka cabinet, which took office less than a month after the incident.

This paper reconsiders the significance of the incident by investigating how the Japanese printed media reported the news and commented on it. The analysis covers a range of newspapers and magazines, selected as representative of different political positions and target readerships. In order to put the findings in the wider context of press reports on the Northern Expedition, the survey extends over a period of several months. This method allows to appreciate the salience of the Nanjing incident in a continuous flow of news on China and China policy, as well as its influence on the framing of news into media narratives. The findings indicate that the incident was not a game changer in the latter process, despite the attention it commanded. Rather, writers used it to feed the narrative they had been weaving over the previous months, emphasizing those aspects that could support their own established views on the Nationalist Party, its leaders, their relations with the Chinese Communist Party, Japan’s foreign policy and other related topics. In conclusion, this study highlights how media writers defended their biases when confronted with a critical event.