Mapping Political Connections in Japan: The Functions of Hyperlinks on Japanese Diet Member Websites

Abstract

As an information provision and communications medium, websites offer networking opportunities for politicians, particularly in terms of hyperlinking capabilities. Hyperlinks are unique in that they can be used to actually connect the website viewer with other politicians, interest/support groups, government institutions, political parties, local communities, and individual users. Furthermore, as noted by Park and Jankowski (2008), ‘‘a hyperlink is not a monolithic construct and can entail several activities with important implications for communications.’’ Although politicians’ hyperlinked relationships have been analyzed with reference to South Korean politicians (Park and Thelwall, 2008), to date, no studies are available that focus on the networks revealed through hyperlinks on Japanese Diet member websites. The within article analyzes hyperlinks found on a sample of 100 Japanese politician websites in 2010 and demonstrates that hyperlinks may serve as prominent displays of position, interest, authority, affiliation, and power-base relations.