Reinforcing identities? Non-Japanese residents, television and cultural nationalism in Japan

Abstract

Between 1997 and 2007 the foreign population of Japan increased by more than 45 % making it the largest at any time in the postwar period, constituting 1.69 % of the overall population. At the same time, the trans-border flows of people, capital and media increased at an unprecedented rate. In the Japanese media, there has been a marked increase in the number of television programs featuring non-Japanese. This paper fo-cuses on the phenomenon of non-Japanese residents of Japan on variety television programs and shows that the increase of foreign faces on Japa-nese television is significant as non-Japanese residents are used here to reinforce ideas of Japanese cultural identity. These programs, while usu-ally advertised as opportunities to look at issues from an international perspective, instead highlight perceived differences which exist between Japan and the outside world as a form of entertainment, rather than to seriously examine the issues Japan faces as it becomes more interna-tional. Employing a discourse analysis of recent programs as well as interviews with program participants, this paper examines media mecha-nisms which create an image of the foreign " other " that is employed to create, perpetuate and strengthen the idea of a unique Japanese cultural identity.