The depiction of democracy in Japan’s newspapers

Abstract

ABSTRACT The goal of this article is to understand what ‘kind’ of democracy is being depicted by two Japanese major newspapers. The kind of democracy being disseminated and normalised by the media can be relevant as it can potentially shape how citizens see themselves in democracy and later influence how they may or may not engage in political affairs. In order to capture the wider spectrum of how this normative concept is being articulated, 493 articles were chosen from Asahi and Sankei newspapers, which are located at opposing ends of the political spectrum. It was found that between 2000 and 2017, the articulation of democracy in the news was highly diversified, at times contradictory but most of the times ambiguous lacking articulation over its normative and political attributes. Mentioning democracy in the news may contribute to its familiarisation, but the tendency seen in this study may also lead to provoke a sense of uncertainty over the concept and discourage citizens to engage in something they are not confident nor familiar.