Media coniumption and the contruction of Epinsnetionl idstities dy "foreign-residets" in Japan

• Project/Area Number: 13610225
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 社会学(含社会福祉関係)
• Research Institution: International Christian University
• Principal Investigator: IWABUTHI Koichi International Christian University, Assistant Professor, 教養学部, 助教授 (10327728)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): MIZUKOSHI Shin Tokyo University, Associate Professor, 大学院・情報学環, 助教授 (60219623)
• Project Period (FY): 2001 – 2002
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2002)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,400,000); Fiscal Year 2002: ¥1,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000); Fiscal Year 2001: ¥1,800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,800,000)
• Keywords: Foreign residents in Japan / Media / Transitional identities / Multicultural society / ethnic minorities / メディア消費 / エスニック・メディア / トランスナショナル / 移民 / アイデンティティー

Research Abstract

This research project aimed to empirically examine through questionnaires and interviews how Chinese, Korean. Filipino. Peruvian, Brazilian residents in Japan consume various media, and to consider if and how transnational connections, belongings and identities are being constructed in the context of Japan as a multicultural society. Also, the production and representation of Japanese-Peruvian internet media. Nikkeinet-as, Filipino magazine. The Philippines Today, and Japanese TV talk show that features foreign residents in Japan, Koko ga hen dayo Nihonjin were analyzed, and questionnaire survey concerning the possibility of broadcasting TV programs from other Asian countries were made.
Main findings are as follows: the use of the internet is becoming more and more s significant for the consumption of non-Japanese language media and information; there is considerable diversity of patterns of media consumption in each ethno-national groups in terms of age. gender, job, Japanese language capacity, the duration of stay and place of residence; the contents and production style of non-Japanese language media circus acting within Japan are becoming transnational as the cross-border flows of people has intensified; for these reasons, it would be misleading to use the term "ethnic minority media" as it presupposes rigidly demarcated, coherent "ethnic groups", which only produce and consume the media within the limit of a host country; finally. no small number of respondents strongly complained against repeated stereotypical representations of foreign people by the Japanese mass media whose content totally disregard the multicultural reality of Japanese society.
It will be necessary to develop the preliminary data, findings and insights d gained from this research project by conducting further qualitative research on the emerging sense of simultaneous belongings to and social participation in multiple countries and the ongoing construction of transnational identities in the Japanese context.