Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Suicide Narratives in Contemporary Japanese Newspapers: An Analysis of Media Inventories

Kleander, Michael (2021) COSM40 20211
Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University
Abstract
Suicide in Japan has long been a debated topic. In recent decades, the focus has turned towards the media and the Werther effect (copycat suicides), which seemed to spark some arguable Moral Panics throughout the 2000s. In the following decade, suicides have subsequently decreased. As a result of this decrease has been a lack of research focusing on the media and suicide in the 2010s. Drawing on narrative analysis through a Moral Panic framework, this thesis strives to see how newspapers reflect the current suicide situation, and if there were any indications of Moral Panics. The thesis relies on collected data from Asahi and Yomiuri Shimbun, as well as the suicide statistics provided by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.... (More)
Suicide in Japan has long been a debated topic. In recent decades, the focus has turned towards the media and the Werther effect (copycat suicides), which seemed to spark some arguable Moral Panics throughout the 2000s. In the following decade, suicides have subsequently decreased. As a result of this decrease has been a lack of research focusing on the media and suicide in the 2010s. Drawing on narrative analysis through a Moral Panic framework, this thesis strives to see how newspapers reflect the current suicide situation, and if there were any indications of Moral Panics. The thesis relies on collected data from Asahi and Yomiuri Shimbun, as well as the suicide statistics provided by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. It was discovered that both newspapers focus their reporting on rarer circumstances such as school-related reasons or jumping. Furthermore, a potential Moral Panic was identified in 2012, which was analysed through aforementioned framework. The analysis showed that the central problem constructed in the newspapers was the concealment of bullying instead of the actual suicide. This thesis argues that the newspapers’ inventory was framed toward a Moral Panic. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Kleander, Michael
supervisor
organization
course
COSM40 20211
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Moral Panic, Suicide, Media, Narrative, Newspaper, Japan
language
English
id
9058737
date added to LUP
2021-06-24 12:00:48
date last changed
2021-08-19 10:27:30
@misc{9058737,
  abstract     = {{Suicide in Japan has long been a debated topic. In recent decades, the focus has turned towards the media and the Werther effect (copycat suicides), which seemed to spark some arguable Moral Panics throughout the 2000s. In the following decade, suicides have subsequently decreased. As a result of this decrease has been a lack of research focusing on the media and suicide in the 2010s. Drawing on narrative analysis through a Moral Panic framework, this thesis strives to see how newspapers reflect the current suicide situation, and if there were any indications of Moral Panics. The thesis relies on collected data from Asahi and Yomiuri Shimbun, as well as the suicide statistics provided by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. It was discovered that both newspapers focus their reporting on rarer circumstances such as school-related reasons or jumping. Furthermore, a potential Moral Panic was identified in 2012, which was analysed through aforementioned framework. The analysis showed that the central problem constructed in the newspapers was the concealment of bullying instead of the actual suicide. This thesis argues that the newspapers’ inventory was framed toward a Moral Panic.}},
  author       = {{Kleander, Michael}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Suicide Narratives in Contemporary Japanese Newspapers: An Analysis of Media Inventories}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}