Paper short abstract:

Exploring Japan’s uneasiness about and antagonism towards China and Korea, this paper analyzes how the Japanese governmental views on China and South Korea have been reflected and intensified in the articles of Japanese newsmagazines.

Paper long abstract:

This paper analyzes how the Japanese governmental views on China and South Korea have been reflected and intensified in the articles of Japanese newsmagazines. Exploring Japan’s uneasiness about and antagonism towards China and Korea, this paper also examines how the Japanese government has had different attitudes toward these two countries.

Since the 2000, China and South Korea have had uneasy relations with Japan mainly due to the history disputes. As PM Abe persistently visited the Yasukuni shrine and supported the revision of article 9 in the Constitution, their relations with Japan reached the peak of emotional as well as political conflicts. With the power alternation in South Korea from conservatives to progressives, political strife between Japan and Korea has been in stalemate and it has exacerbated, for example, Japan's removal of Korea from her export whitelist. Japan has presented fear and hatred of China due to resistance against communism and has made considerable efforts to criticize China for a long time, exaggerating Chinese intentions to rule the world as a great threat to Japan. Notwithstanding, it has gradually enhanced relations with China.

Focusing on the most circulated news magazine in Japan, Bungei Shunjū, from 2018 to 2022, this paper analyzes the articles on China and South Korea exploring how opinion leaders who are like-minded with PM Abe and many right-wing LDP politicians shape their views on these countries. Through content analysis, it verifies whether their views on China and South Korea converge or diverge. This paper also attempts to provide a solid foundation for understanding of the resurgence of nationalism and the increase of anti-Chinese and anti-Korean sentiments by ceaselessly creating and strengthening the logic of differentiation.