The major Japanese broadsheet newspapers in circulation today have a history spanning 150 years, but unlike many of their city-focused Western counterparts, these leading newspapers tend to operate at a national level. They primarily focus on domestic issues, allocating a certain amount of page space to world news and maintaining a network of foreign bureaus. But how do they choose to cover the world? It is reasonable to assume a strong ‘home’ lens, in which countries, regions, and events perceived as impacting Japan’s national interests are prioritised when covering global news. We can also assume that powerful Western countries exert influence on what is reported. However, long-term research on how Japanese newspapers cover world affairs remains limited, and our understanding of broader trends in coverage is still developing.
This panel examines how Japanese newspapers construct and prioritise their coverage of the world, with attention to both historical and contemporary patterns. By bringing together new research on the international orientation of the press, the panel seeks to highlight how domestic concerns, geopolitical pressures, and broader media transformations intersect to shape reporting choices.
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