Nationalism in the Japanese Print Media: A Case Study of the Dokdo-Takeshima Island Dispute

Since 1905, when they were annexed by Japan’s Shimane prefecture, Liancourt Rocks—known as Dokdo by the Koreans and as Takeshima by the Japanese—have been a sticking point in relations between the two countries. Although South Korea has had effective control over the islets since the 1950s, Japan continues to contest those claims. More recently in the 2000s, several incidents have served to aggravate Japanese-Korean tension insofar as they relate to the island dispute, amidst a more general trend of Japanese nationalism. This paper examines contemporary events within the dispute and the way in which Japanese newspapers have portrayed the conflict through the lens of nationalism. In particular, this paper focuses on Asahi, Mainichi, Yomiuri and Sankei Shimbun, as they are among the major dailies in Japan with enduring popularity.