QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF ADVERTISEMENTS IN POPULAR NEWSPAPERS DURING THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR

2001 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 10610180
• 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: OSAKA CITY UNIVERSITY
• Principal Investigator: TSUCHIYA Reiko OSAKA CITY UNIVERSITY, 大学院・文学研究科, 助教授 (00275504)
• Project Period (FY): 1998 – 1999
• Keywords: OSAKA-ASAHI SHINBUM / OSAKA-MAINICHI SHINBUM / JIJI-SHINPOH / YOROZU-CHOHHOU / TOKYO / OSAKA / POPULAR CULTURE / ADVERTISEMENT

Research Abstract

Quantitative analysis of advertisements was conducted over each January from 1903 to 1907 (including the term of the Russo-Japanese War) in four popular newspapers (two papers, Osaka-Asahi Shinbum and Osaka-Mainichi Shinbum published in Osaka, and other two papers, Jiji-Shinpoh and Yorozu-Chohhou published in Tokyo). The results obtained are as follows. The monthly mean of numbers of advertisements in each newspaper, 3,751 for Jiji, 3,203 for Osaka-Mainichi, 2,956 for Osaka-Mainichi, and 2,010 for Yorozu, shows differences between newspapers at the degree of dependence on advertisements. Numbers of advertisements in two Osaka newspapers increased 1.4 times after the war, which supports a common view about the development of advertisements at the war. The category of advertisements with highest ratio in number was commercial advertisements for goods in each newspaper, though it was over 60%, the highest in Yorozu and as low as 30% in Jiji. Categories of second and third highest ratio in two Osaka newspapers were new-year advertisements and institutional advertisements. In size of advertisements, the ratio in number of big size advertisements over 50 lines was 6-10% in two Osaka newspapers. Graphic design was more used and well developed in two Osaka newspapers, especially for victory advertisements. The fact that 50% of advertisers of two Osaka newspaper lived in Osaka, and over 60% of advertisers of two Tokyo newspapers lived in Tokyo proved locality of advertisers. Thus this research shows quantitative differences of advertisements in popular newspapers between Osaka and Tokyo during the Russo-Japanese War.