A Comparative Analysis of US and Japanese News Reports on Whaling Suggests Strategies to Improve Bilateral Communication on Commercial Whaling in Japan

Q2 Social Sciences

Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy Pub Date : 2022-07-03 DOI:10.1080/13880292.2022.2146847

Jiaxin Xu, Zhijia Liu, M. Leslie

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Abstract Media coverage on controversial topics, such as whaling, presents opposing arguments that can shape public opinions. To investigate how the US and Japanese media portrayed Japan’s withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission, we examined 368 news reports on whaling from the US and Japan published during 2018 and 2019, concurrent with Japan’s withdrawal. We identified ten frequently used arguments and analyzed how they were deployed to support either the pro-whaling or anti-whaling stance. Unsurprisingly, Japanese reports were predominantly more pro-whaling than the US reports. Cultural differences alone did not fully explain these diverging stances and usage of arguments. Moreover, broader anthropocentric concerns and the interests of the two countries overlapped, suggesting that while the two countries have a shared awareness of anthropocentric perspectives, the communication problem lies in their diametrically opposed assertions regarding those topics. By analyzing the issue, we revealed the potential for mutual understanding between the US and Japan, which allowed us to propose possible solutions to improve diplomacy on this issue.

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美日两国捕鲸新闻报道的比较分析提出了改善日本商业捕鲸双边沟通的策略

媒体对捕鲸等争议性话题的报道，呈现出截然相反的观点，从而影响公众舆论。为了调查美国和日本媒体是如何描述日本退出国际捕鲸委员会的，我们研究了2018年和2019年日本退出期间美国和日本发表的368篇关于捕鲸的新闻报道。我们确定了10个经常使用的论点，并分析了它们是如何被用来支持支持捕鲸或反对捕鲸的立场的。不出所料，日本的报告基本上比美国的报告更支持捕鲸。文化差异本身并不能完全解释这些不同的立场和论点的用法。此外，更广泛的人类中心主义关切和两国的利益是重叠的，这表明尽管两国对人类中心主义观点有共同的认识，但沟通问题在于他们对这些主题的截然相反的主张。通过分析这一问题，我们揭示了美日之间相互理解的潜力，从而提出了改善这一问题外交的可能解决方案。”

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来源期刊

Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy Social Sciences-Law

CiteScore

0.90

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Drawing upon the findings from island biogeography studies, Norman Myers estimates that we are losing between 50-200 species per day, a rate 120,000 times greater than the background rate during prehistoric times. Worse still, the rate is accelerating rapidly. By the year 2000, we may have lost over one million species, counting back from three centuries ago when this trend began. By the middle of the next century, as many as one half of all species may face extinction. Moreover, our rapid destruction of critical ecosystems, such as tropical coral reefs, wetlands, estuaries, and rainforests may seriously impair species" regeneration, a process that has taken several million years after mass extinctions in the past.