ABSTRACT
Archaeology is a very particular discipline. The author argues that this is the case not because, as is often said in academia, it straddles both the humanities and the sciences, but rather because it relates to the public in a unique fashion. Despite the criticism that archaeologists sometimes level at newspaper reports, Japanese archaeology seems to need them. Because of the strong influence that newspapers hold in Japanese society, more reports on archaeology mean more social recognition of archaeological activities. The discipline of archaeology is intimately connected to the public both because the past forms the basis for peoples collective identity and also because archaeology intrudes into contemporary living space in an active, real, and physical way. In Japan, it is journalists rather than archaeologists who principally inform the public of the results of archaeological investigation. While archaeologists sometimes criticise sensationalist newspaper reporting of archaeology, Japanese archaeology seems to depend on such reports to sustain itself socially and financially.
