Protest and the Press in Okinawa: Framing Anger at the U.S. Military

2021 Fiscal Year Research-status Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K02078
• Research Institution: Kansai Gaidai University
• Principal Investigator: Hollstein Mark 関西外国語大学, 外国語学部, 准教授 (10533581)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: Okinawa / News Discourse / U.S. Military Bases / Citizen Protest / Discourse Analysis / Henoko / PFOS / PFOA

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

This past year, I have concentrated on analyzing news reports about American-base-caused problems that have appeared in the Okinawa Times, the Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun. Working with my research assistant, I refined my system for coding news discourse and have made significant progress in assigning stories to one of the four primary narrative frames I have identified. So far, I have confined my work to environmental issues related to the bases. My research assistant and I began by conducting an in-depth discourse analysis of more than three years of reports about PFOS and PFOA chemicals, which are used primarily as a fire-retardants on U.S. bases. High levels of these chemicals have been detected in Okinawan drinking water. While this has been a consistent front-page news in Okinawa, it has received limited attention in the national media. I have also found the framing of this story in the national news to be considerably different that how this information is presented to local Okinawan news. I have also made a start on coding and classifying stories on the degradation of sea life caused by the creation of the new U.S. Marine Air Base in Henoko. Analysis of these news stories has also allowed me to compile a list of individuals on all sides of these issues whom I have begun to contact for more background information and to arrange formal interviews.

Current Status of Research Progress

3: Progress in research has been slightly delayed.

Reason

Again this year, my plan to spend several weeks in Okinawa observing protests and conducting in-person interviews with members of the media, protest movement representatives, local government officials and American military spokespeople, was curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic. The academic conferences that I had hoped to participate in were also cancelled for a second year. However, I am confident that with the lifting of many travel restrictions I will be able to complete this part of my project this year.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

Now that I am fully vaccinated and boosted against the coronavirus, I am confident that I will be able to travel to Okinawa where I intend to spend two to three weeks. I have already begun to contact people within the U.S. military who have agreed to meet and talk with me about the base issue and specifically the environmental issues caused by them and how the manage their public relations with the media and public. I have also begun to plan interviews with local newspaper reporters regarding their experiences covering the American military in Okinawa. I will inquire about how their personal values, political beliefs and/or corporate culture influences their approach to this issue. I will also plan to observe anti-base protests and interview activists about their relationship with the media and U.S. base representatives. I will spend part of the year editing and transcribing these interviews and writing a research summary. I will also continue my discourse analysis of news stories about the bases that have appeared in the Okinawa Times and Ryukyu Shimpo. I will begin to analyze and organize my data into a paper that I hope to present at an international conference in the future.

Causes of Carryover

As I plan to soon travel to Okinawa to complete the field research part of my research project, I will need the equipment that I have been waiting to purchase. This includes a camera and microphone capable of recording interviews in high definition for use in on-line publication and conference/classroom presentation. I will need extra lenses for capturing protests and other events. I will also require spare supplies such as extra batteries and SD cards for storage. I will purchase a digital recording device for interview that are not recorded on-camera. I need to continue and expand my digital subscriptions to relevant newspapers