Influence of Kotodamaism on Japanese Journalism

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the way in which Japanese media is affected by ‘Kotodamaism’. Kotodamaism is a belief held by many Japanese people that words, sentences and conversations contain a spirit which can influence reality. While most Japanese people do not believe in the direct effects of Kotodamaism in today’s society, its applied effects have been observed not only in Japanese daily life but also in the media, which is required to report news as accurately as possible. Case studies provide an analysis of news stories from Japanese newspapers, one of which is compared to a British newspaper article. The study shows that Japanese mass media seems to be affected by Kotodamaism and that both Japanese media and the public may unconsciously accept distorted information that works against standards of accurate journalism.