Japan’s nuclear power policies changed profoundly after the Fukushima catastrophe in 2011. Eleven years later, however, the global fight against climate change contributed to the re-evaluation of...Show moreJapan’s nuclear power policies changed profoundly after the Fukushima catastrophe in 2011. Eleven years later, however, the global fight against climate change contributed to the re-evaluation of atomic power as a valuable energy source, and the Japanese government forecasted a 20-22% of overall nuclear production target for 2030. At this moment, 27 reactors shut down permanently, 2 are under construction, and 33 are deemed operable: only 10 of those, however, have restarted their operation so far. This thesis shows how the civil society’s opposition, the new safety rules approved in 2013, and the production limits of the operable power plants constitute the key reasons why the production goals set by the Japanese government for 2030 are unrealistic.Show less
This thesis explores the deeper impact of the newly discovered Guochao-trend in China through a lens of consumer nationalism and a comparison with the South Korean wave.
By applying the three stages of normalisation process theory, this thesis analyses the contribution of face mask producing businesses in Japan for mask normalisation. It concludes that mask...Show moreBy applying the three stages of normalisation process theory, this thesis analyses the contribution of face mask producing businesses in Japan for mask normalisation. It concludes that mask normalisation from the 2000s onwards has mostly been performed by mask producing businesses and that the industry was often aided by governmental support and regulations on mask manufacturing, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. By analysing governmental influenza preparedness protocols, mask production numbers and mask media articles in the Asahi Shinbun, this thesis claims that the influence of mask producing businesses for mask normalisation in Japan started in the second half of the 20th century. In the second half of the 20th century, the government of Japan shifts from legislating face masks for the general public during health hazards to solely recommending mask-wearing in such events. Along with this emphasis on individual health responsibilisation, from the 2000s onwards, the government places the responsibility for mask promotion, distribution and production during health hazards on the mask producing industry itself. This causes mask businesses to have free range in advertising masks, which ultimately diversifies mask-wearing purposes. Because of this, masks increasingly lose their originally intended health care purpose and so they are often employed as risk rituals. Recently, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks in Japan seem to have regained their originally intended purpose. And with today´s extensive mask usage and mask innovation, face masks also have become completely integrated into Japanese society.Show less
Providing for deceased ancestors in the afterlife through offerings is a millennia-old custom in China. In recent years have the elaborate paper effigies of worldly goods that are burned for this...Show moreProviding for deceased ancestors in the afterlife through offerings is a millennia-old custom in China. In recent years have the elaborate paper effigies of worldly goods that are burned for this purpose however received heavy criticism in Chinese and international media as the inclusion of modern luxury and brand items into the repertory of paper offering goods is seen as a deviation from long-standing traditions. The comparative study conducted in this thesis puts side by side ancient burial goods, the predecessors of the current paper offerings, and contemporary paper effigies in an attempt to answer the question whether luxury and brand items in the ancestral offering context constitute as claimed a break with tradition. The study has shown that throughout history, luxury items have been a constant feature of ancestral offerings. The expensive goods are not only a sign of the wealth and status of the bereaved family members in the hereafter, but also help the deceased to gain prestige and a high position in the social hierarchy of the afterlife. While in earlier times, the value of an offering was primarily determined by the value of the material it was made from, symbolism became the main indicator of value as offerings began to be commonly made from cheap materials like clay and nowadays paper. The replicas of contemporary luxury and brand items with their associated value are a modern take on the ancient practice of assigning value to otherwise valueless offerings through symbolic power.Show less
The Japanese mobile phone market has one of the highest diffusion rates of mobile phones in the world, and in an attempt to reactivate this seemingly saturated market, the mobile phone industry now...Show moreThe Japanese mobile phone market has one of the highest diffusion rates of mobile phones in the world, and in an attempt to reactivate this seemingly saturated market, the mobile phone industry now targets the silver market with products aimed towards the elderly consumer. This thesis will take a more in-depth look at Japanese elderly-orientated advertising for mobile phone services for insight into how advertisers represents the elderly and how this fits into wider social practices in Japan. After first sketching a wider context of the Japanese mobile phone market, and how old age fits in the discussion on representation within media-created texts, Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis is used to investigate two advertisements of NTT DoCoMo’s “Tsunagari-hotto-support” service. It is concluded that the examined ads use various multimodal resources to construct and maintain dominant ideologies of filial piety, which can have a negative effect on elderly and their caregivers in Japan.Show less
