This research deals with how stereotypes about Japanese people manifest themselves in news photographs published in Western media. Hopefully this thesis will also shed a bit of light on how...Show moreThis research deals with how stereotypes about Japanese people manifest themselves in news photographs published in Western media. Hopefully this thesis will also shed a bit of light on how qualitative data analysis methods can be applied not only to textual narratives, but also to (news) photographs. On March 11, 2011, Japan suffered two disasters. Off the Pacific coast of Tōhoku, the most powerful earthquake in Japan’s recorded history occurred (9.0 on the Richter scale). As a result, the eastern coasts of Japan were hit by devastating tsunami waves, killing around 15,000 people. Another disaster quickly followed. Because of the quake and tsunami, there were level 7 meltdowns at the nuclear reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant complex. It would be the largest nuclear incident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. It goes without saying that this was a major news story. But after a while, the discussion in the Western media seemed to shift from actual disaster reporting to assumptions about the Japanese mentality. Blatant stereotypes about Japanese people became more and more apparent in stories about the disaster. Stereotypes not only appeared in the textual narrative, but could also be found within its accompanying images. So it is within the photographs of Japanese people dealing with the tsunami and nuclear disaster that this research attempts to uncover certain stereotypical cues and tropes. These cues and tropes ultimately contribute to the collective manifestations of stereotypes about Japanese people. Current psychological theory conceptualizes stereotypes as cognitive structures or schemas that represent widely shared beliefs about the defining characteristics of social groups. The media most commonly use stereotypical categorizations of individuals or groups based on race or ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, employment, and age. These stereotypes are automatically activated when audiences encounter cues or symbols in mass media, according to Peffley, Shields and Williams (1996) and Abraham and Appiah (2006). Stereotypes about Eastern people and cultures in particular have been widely researched. Edward Saïd first posited the revolutionary theoretical framework of Orientalism, which is how he coined the particular form that Western stereotypical understandings of Asian cultures has taken. He, and many other experts, claim that this Orientalism has evolved into a cultural myth permeating Western thought. It has been articulated through metaphors which characterize the East in ways which emphasize its strangeness and otherness. The Oriental person is made up of a single image which carries with it the taint of inferiority. Kathleen Tierney and Erica Kuligowski postulate that the media help enforce already existing disaster myths among the general public and organizational actors. Examples of such myths are the notions that disasters are accompanied by looting, social disorganization, panic, and deviant behavior. This is relevant because the Japanese people after the disaster seemed to subvert many of those myths. Surprisingly, this subversion was seen as conformation of the Japanese supposedly stoic yet respectful nature, therefore affirming Orientalist stereotypes. Through the application of these theories and a qualitative data analysis of a selection of 200 images, this research uncovers how stereotypical cues and tropes about Japanese people manifest themselves in these photographs. Whether or not Western news media possess that knowledge and thus deliberately choose to photographs with stereotypical elements, however, are two wholly different questions.Show less
This thesis questions the phenomenon called gender speech in Japan and the ideology of it. To answer this doubt, theories about the origin of gender speech are discussed and research has been...Show moreThis thesis questions the phenomenon called gender speech in Japan and the ideology of it. To answer this doubt, theories about the origin of gender speech are discussed and research has been conducted to come to a conclusion if Japanese gender speech is still important till this day.Show less
This thesis examines how Japan's declining birth rate and women's work-life balance are related, and how the government has responded to this in terms of policies.
Idols are the most popular performers in the Japanese entertainment world. They sing, dance, act and appear in magazines. Their pictures are sold in specialized shops and they sell several thousand...Show moreIdols are the most popular performers in the Japanese entertainment world. They sing, dance, act and appear in magazines. Their pictures are sold in specialized shops and they sell several thousand copies per single. But in Europe and America such idols don’t exist. What is it that makes these idols so popular in Japan, while they are not popular in Europe and America? What is important for a Japanese idol to become popular? I will look at three different aspects: looks, talent and personality. The general conclusion is that talent is more important for Japanese idols than looks and personalityShow less
Veel ouders sturen vanwege de sterke competitie in het onderwijs hun kinderen naar naschoolse bijles instellingen, genaamd juku 塾. Dit doen ze om er zeker van te zijn dat hun kinderen voor het...Show moreVeel ouders sturen vanwege de sterke competitie in het onderwijs hun kinderen naar naschoolse bijles instellingen, genaamd juku 塾. Dit doen ze om er zeker van te zijn dat hun kinderen voor het toelatingsexamen zullen slagen. Door de grote vraag naar dit soort bijles is het aantal juku-instellingen enorm gestegen door de jaren heen. Om zich te onderscheiden van concurrenten en genoeg studenten te werven, maken juku veel gebruik van reclame. In deze scriptie kijk ik naar de wervingsactiviteiten van juku in de vorm van reclame-uitingen. Dit wordt gedaan door de framing-theorie van Ervin Goffman toe te passen om de reclame-uitingen te analyseren en te onderzoeken welke verschillende thema’s gebruikt worden door juku. Het doel is te onderzoeken op wat voor manier juku scholieren werven voor hun diensten om dit vervolgens te verklaren binnen de Japanse samenleving.Show less
Karōshi (dood door te veel werk/ overwerk ) speelt vandaag de dag nog een grote rol in het Japanse bedrijfsleven. Symptomen komen voort uit stress en zijn o.a. hartaanvallen en hersenbloedingen. In...Show moreKarōshi (dood door te veel werk/ overwerk ) speelt vandaag de dag nog een grote rol in het Japanse bedrijfsleven. Symptomen komen voort uit stress en zijn o.a. hartaanvallen en hersenbloedingen. In deze paper is onderzocht welke Japanse managementstructuren van invloed zijn op karōshi. Daarbij is gekeken naar de rol van stress op de werkvloer en is er ook kort gekeken naar de cultuur van schadevergoedingen in Japan.Show less
Climate change is the most pressing problem of our time and the transition towards a renewables-based economy is the only long-term solution. It is well established that offshore wind holds great...Show moreClimate change is the most pressing problem of our time and the transition towards a renewables-based economy is the only long-term solution. It is well established that offshore wind holds great promise in terms of providing energy capacity for East Asian nations that rely on the imports of fossil fuels. This study provides a comparative analysis of three East Asian nations to find what policies affect the successful deployment of offshore wind capacity. Several hypotheses, formed around influencing factors such as energy market liberalization, financial and quantitative incentive policies and siting procedures are formed and tested against offshore wind deployment data. The Most Similar Systems Designs method is employed to isolate the factors under examination and control for social, cultural, political, environmental and economic factors. The results provide insight into the effectiveness of policies across and within nations and reasons for the differences between nations.Show less
Japanse idolen worden vaak verboden om te daten. In deze scriptie zal worden onderzocht waarom dit zo is en wat de gevolgen zijn wanneer een idool betrapt wordt op het hebben van een relatie. Aan...Show moreJapanse idolen worden vaak verboden om te daten. In deze scriptie zal worden onderzocht waarom dit zo is en wat de gevolgen zijn wanneer een idool betrapt wordt op het hebben van een relatie. Aan de hand van casestudies wordt een vergelijking gemaakt tussen mannelijke en vrouwelijke idolen die betrokken raken bij een liefdesschandaal.Show less
The goal of this thesis is to analyse how consumption is used in the process of identity formation in Japan. It does so through the analysis of the advertisement titled “世界初かわいい味噌汁/Definition of...Show moreThe goal of this thesis is to analyse how consumption is used in the process of identity formation in Japan. It does so through the analysis of the advertisement titled “世界初かわいい味噌汁/Definition of Japanese Kawaii”, produced by Japanses advertising giant Dentsu. Using a framework that was created based on a critical review of literature regarding relevant theories, this thesis analyses three key myths that are part of Japanese national identity: romanticised history, harmless femininity, and international consumption. Three main findings are revealed throughout the analysis. The first is the complex reciprocal relationship between consumption and nation-building myths. The second is the dichotomous relationship between the parts of Japanese identity that are embraced and those that are rejected (these being Westernisation, sexuality, and historical figures). Finally, the analysis reveals that, in the quest to create a distilled, consumable Japanese identity, individual realities are sacrificed. After the conclusion of the findings, the limitations and potential future pathways of the study are suggested.Show less
A comparative study of two memorials and their museums (Hiroshima Peace Memorial and Yasukuni Shrine) in Japan, with an insight on the public opinion of the two on the web.
Although racism and racial issues are not about the color of people’s skin in itself, the symbolic meanings given to color do determine who is affected by acts of discrimination and who is not. But...Show moreAlthough racism and racial issues are not about the color of people’s skin in itself, the symbolic meanings given to color do determine who is affected by acts of discrimination and who is not. But there is more to racism than it simply being about dark skin versus fair. Even among skin tone, variations that exist in terms color across the range of dark to fair, the type of discrimination faced by people differs. On a related yet deceptively different topic skin color is also strongly tied to beauty ideals. The focus for this thesis lies on the Japanese market. The question that is answered is: what does white skin stand for within Japanese society and is this beauty ideal of fair skin directly linked to a desire to emulate white people?Show less
The Japanese population and its healthcare system is under pressure. The population is declining drastically; the amount of elderly is increasing heavily and with the costs to take care of them...Show moreThe Japanese population and its healthcare system is under pressure. The population is declining drastically; the amount of elderly is increasing heavily and with the costs to take care of them will be heavy. Their increasingly chasing population structure is a major concern for politicians and companies alike. Too often Japanese politicians keep this status quo alive, on one hand they agree that Japan needs to introduce pro-immigration policies but on the other hand, when it comes to implement real and viable policies they ignore it. Japanese politicians are hesitant to call for increased immigration, due to fear from the public. These fears often stem from some underbelly feeling, which also fueled by the Media. The introduction of the Foreign nurses and caretakers was a first step into the right direction. Sadly, the outcome was insignificant and had practically no influence. This program shows the weakness of the Japanese immigration policies. It lacks flexibility, practicality and long-term vision.Show less
Anti-terrorism policy in Japan: Combating a nonexistent threat is a thesis analysing and interpreting Japanese policy in relation to anti-terrorism. By using the methodology of securitization, this...Show moreAnti-terrorism policy in Japan: Combating a nonexistent threat is a thesis analysing and interpreting Japanese policy in relation to anti-terrorism. By using the methodology of securitization, this thesis attempts to answer the following question: "How have security policies of the Japanese Government changed since December 2012 in such a way that laws can be abused?". This is done by looking at Diet meetings (Japanese Parliament) as well as official correspondence between the Japanese Government and other (international) organizations. Lastly, it looks at tangible proof of law abuse.Show less
This thesis describes the development of the phenomenon of yōkai in Japan throughout time and investigates the influence of nationalism on this phenomenon using the oni as a case study.
