Recently, TV programs praising "Japanese culture" and "Japanese people" have become prominent. By lifting up the category of "Japanese" that applies to many viewers, theirdesire for approvalIt would be natural to assume that they want to earn viewer ratings by satisfying the As for the media praising Japan, it is a sign of the lack of confidence of the Japanese people.considerationOn the one hand, there is a "Japan admiration boom" due to the fact that Japan has emerged from a long recession and gained external recognition, such as its bid to host the Olympics and the registration of Japanese food as a world intangible cultural heritage. On the other hand, there is a "Japan admiration boom" resulting from the external recognition of Japan's emergence from the long recession, such as its bid to host the Olympics and the registration of Japanese food as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage.how to look at something (e.g. noh, train schedule)There are also It is true that many foreigners have praised Japan extensively in Japan-praising programs. However, some people objectively feel uncomfortable with excessive praise of Japan.numerousJapan needs to reevaluate the state of the world and the state of Japan in the world. We need to take a fresh look at the state of the world as reflected in Japan-praise programs, the state of Japan in the world, and the significance and problems of praising one's own country.

Idols dancing at the JAPAN EXPO in Thailand (Photo: Iudexvivorum /Wikimedia Commons[)CC0 1.0])

Japan Praise Programs" broadcast on many TV stations

How many programs fit into the category of Japan praise programs? Research into the programs of various TV stations revealed that many TV stations broadcast variety programs praising Japan.

For example, TV Asahi's "Nippon surprised the world! Amazing Japan! Inspection teamAccording to the program's website, "Japan's Wonderful Japan" is a program that "invites foreigners to discover the wonder and uniqueness of Japan by introducing them to the amazing things about Japan that are very different from those in their home countries," NHK's "COOL JAPAN ~Excavation! Cool NipponThe theme of the "Japanese Culture" section of the website focuses on Japanese culture and has been "exploring the appeal of Japanese culture from a foreigner's point of view" for more than 10 years. The website states, "Various aspects of Japanese culture that we have taken for granted are now accepted as cool and trendy by foreigners. Meanwhile, TBS's "Made in Japan!The main theme of "Japanese Products" is "Japanese Products. The program is said to be a "heartwarming variety show in which foreigners living in Japan are asked to bring back to their home countries the Japanese products they find most wonderful in Japan, and to recognize at once the touching family ties and the excellence of Japanese products.

Other programs show Japanese people living abroad helping local people to become grateful and popular. TV Tokyo's "The World Why Are You There? Nihonjin ~Unknown Checkered Biographyis a "documentary variety that makes you proud to be Japanese and cheers for Japan," and sees a certain Japanese person's success overseas as if it were the joy of the entire nation. TV Asahi's "Found in villages around the world! Japanese in These Placesis a program that visits Japanese people in different parts of the world and unravels their unimaginable lifestyles and lives.

The common thread that runs through these programs is that they project an image of Japan that is highly valued by the rest of the world. The methods used to praise Japan are almost templated, such as interviewing foreigners who have visited Japan and showing them praising Japan, or success stories of Japanese people being thanked for saving people overseas. All of them present a subjective and biased view of Japan.

Title of a certain Japan praise program

In addition, several have pointed out that program producers sometimes intentionally distort the content of their programs. For example, a woman who teaches English conversation in Japan said that when she appeared on a program praising Japan, she was asked to provide Japanese anime goods and other items that would look good on the program, and that she was uncomfortable when she was instructed to use lines that praised convenience stores excessively.prosecutionThe "Made in Japan" brand is also being used in the same way as the "Made in Japan" brand. In addition, one Japan-praising program introduced foreign-made toys as "made in Japan" products.problemare also mentioned. Other examples include the exaggeration of Farsi dialogue in the subtitles and the addition of lines praising Japanese products in the subtitles.pointing outhas been received from a newspaper reporter living in Iran. The use of foreign perspectives and evaluations from outside the country as a matter of convenience may be contributing to the undermining of trust in the media.

What kind of world does the "Japan praise program" on the world stage reflect?

Among the many programs praising Japan, there are several programs that take place in countries around the world, as mentioned above. Although these programs provide viewers with the opportunity to learn about the various aspects of each country, the programsObjective.The "Wonderful Japan" is to confirm the "Wonderfulness of Japan". Therefore, we picked up TV Tokyo's "Sekai no naze koko ni? Japanese - Unknown Checkered Biographies," a TV Tokyo program that travels to many countries to conduct interviews.

In the seven years since the program began airing, it has visited more than 130 countries and interviewed Japanese people living in those countries. Looking back on their spectacular lives, the program shows the reasons why they left Japan and came to foreign lands, and how they are struggling to make a living there. Furthermore, while based on showing the checkered life of one Japanese person, many episodes have major themes such as "stories of Japanese people being thanked for saving the local people" or "stories of Japanese culture being popular and acclaimed in the area by spreading Japanese culture. Of the 307 episodes, there were 94 stories of Japanese helping the underprivileged and being thanked for it, and 39 stories of Japanese culture being highly praised by foreigners.

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A closer look at each episode reveals that the episodes in which the Japanese provided relief assistance and were thanked for their work, show that "theA Japanese who has given up 20 million yen of his own money to help poor children in Cambodia without pay.", "A Japanese doctor saves the lives of poor people in Sudan, even leaving his beloved wife and children behind in Japan.", "19 years in the unexplored region of central Africa...A Japanese woman saves the Baka, a poor indigenous tribeAs seen in titles such as "The Japanese People's Republic of China," stories about the establishment of orphanages and schools and the free provision of medical care are common. Furthermore, the program's emphasis on the fact that "the Japanese are appreciated around the world" is confirmed. The words "grateful Japanese" are included in the titles of 24 episodes, and in 2018, an expanded edition of the program, called "The Japanese who are grateful around the world, a two-hour special," was broadcast five times. The content of being thanked was mostly about support in the medical and educational fields, and there were eight titles that emphasized financial support, such as "threw away ____ billion yen of his private fortune.

Japan praise program airing "Japanese Respected Around the World" special

In an episode in which Japanese culture is celebrated, "Japanese Craftsman Spreads Japanese Craftsmanship in Canada, and for Some Reason, Local People Are Very Happy with His Work", "A Japanese woman who became so famous in Australia that she received a standing ovation for performing a "traditional Japanese thing.", "A big hit in the U.S! He is more famous than Ichiro for spreading the word about the Japanese thing in the U.S! A Japanese man who continues to be appreciated.and others, the episodes are a testament to the popularity of Japanese culture.

The differences are also highlighted when broken down by region. In terms of the number of episodes, the four regions of South/Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America dominate, accounting for a total of 80% of all episodes, but each region has its own characteristics. Stories of "relief assistance," which are rarely seen in Europe, in contrast, account for more than half of all episodes in South and Southeast Asia, and are similarly prevalent in Africa. In particular, Cambodia and Kenya are the top countries in the program with 12 and 9 entries, respectively, but most of the episodes are about relief in the form of school construction and medical care. Despite the variety of ways in which aid is provided, the program only broadcasts the same thing over and over again.

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Problems with Japan Praise Programs

We have analyzed programs that praise Japan, but what is the problem with the excessive praise of Japan found in such programs?

First of all, these programs focus only on praising Japan, and as a result, they standardize and simplify the situation of countries other than Japan. In particular, "Sekai no naze koko ni? Japanese" shows only Japanese assistance to African and Southeast Asian countries, potentially giving viewers a one-sided view that these countries have no way to develop on their own and are relying on Japan to save them. However, even in so-called developing countries such as Africa, there are various innovations in their own countriescreation (e.g. work of art)Not to mention the fact that they have achieved growth through self-help efforts such as In other words, these programs are hindering our understanding of growth and country-to-country relationships around the world.

Moreover, showing only foreigners who appreciate Japanese people and Japanese culture will create the misconception that the entire country is "pro-Japanese. To begin with, the feelings of individuals toward other countries are extremely complex, based on their own values and experiences, and it is unrealistic to assume that an entire country is "pro-Japan". Relationships between nations are similarly complex, with some forms of "aid" and some forms of "exploitation. While programs praising Japan exaggerate the content of "aid" and the existence of some "pro-Japan" people, they also exaggerate what economic powers, including Japan, are doing to help the country.exploitationFew media outlets report on what they are doing.

For example, Bangladesh hasJapan Praise ProgramIn Japan, the country is considered "pro-Japanese" and reflects only the aspect that "Japanese people are appreciated. However, the miserable working environment of the fashion industry isviewed as a problemIn Bangladesh, where the garment factories of fashion makers from around the world are located, workers protest against low wages.demonstrationThe company is still engaged in the following activities A number of Bangladeshi companies are operating in BangladeshJapanese company (business, firm)is no exception to this target. Nevertheless, when a terrorist attack occurred in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka in 2016, killing 20 people, including seven Japanese, Japan was not surprised that such an incident would occur in "Bangladesh, a supposedly pro-Japanese country.unpredictabilitybecame a hot topic. Although this attack was not directly attributable to the workers' demonstration, it can be dangerous for the media to create the myth that a country is entirely "pro-Japan.

Other programs praising Japan generally proclaim to reaffirm "the greatness of Japan" or to make viewers "proud to be Japanese," but without an objective viewpoint, these programs can lead to many misunderstandings. The Japan admiration boom isa past (i.e. a personal history)The "Manchurian Incident" in 1933 isolated Japan from the international community and coincided with the country's entry into the Pacific War. In the past, nationalism and "Japanese" egos inflated by the media served as the catalyst that propelled the nation in a self-centered direction.

Japan praise program to broadcast the situation in Zambia, Africa

Japan praise programs convey the "splendor of Japan" from various angles and in various ways. However, there is a danger of distorting the facts and over-glorifying "praise of Japan" to the extent that it leads people to ignore the world situation and diverse values. Cutting out only praise for Japan does not reveal the world as it really is, and overestimation may foster excessive nationalism. In particular, Africa and South Asia are rarely mentioned in the daily news.not reportedThe existence and responsibility of Japan admiration programs that provide opportunities to learn about these countries is important because they are in the region. TV stations must understand that programs praising Japan sometimes have a great impact beyond the realm of entertainment.

Writer: Aya Inoue

Graphic: Saki Takeuchi

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