ABSTRACT

Based on the case of Beijing Olympic torch relay, this study explores the complex relationships between the Olympics, media and politics by analyzing news reports, and also explains the perspectives and frames adopted by the media to present this topic from the viewpoint of Japanese society. By reviewing 134 articles published by three mainstream newspapers in Japan, four news frames and nine detailed topics are categorized, representing factual, emotional (Chinese nationalism and the reaction) and analytical aspects. The result suggests that although the number of news reports on each topic varies among the mainstream newspapers, they all share the same tone in each news frame. Moreover, along with the emphasis on detailed and factual information, the Japanese mainstream newspapers chose to report intensively on conflict and confrontation, Chinese patriotism and nationalism, and the bewilderment and dissatisfaction felt by Japanese residents in order to create a confrontational structure of ‘Japanese vs. Chinese’.