ABSTRACT
This chapter compares Japanese and United States (US) political communication as observable in their respective addresses to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) between 2006 and 2015. The focus is on how political leaders frame their understanding of international political issues. In order to do so, this chapter includes quantitative and qualitative discourse analyses based on occurrences, keywords, collocations, n-grams, and concordances. The comparison shows how socio-cultural, domestic, and individual factors contribute to differences in political discourse, as well as international status and recognition. This cross-cultural study is particularly interesting because Japan continues to consider the United States as its most important bilateral ally, and differences in framing of international issues would play a crucial role in their diplomatic relation.
