ABSTRACT
Building upon issues raised throughout the book, this chapter looks at a range of pertinent topics. The first section begins by challenging the idea of Japan being Tōkyō-centric by looking at some of the responses to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. The next section discusses the way in which Japan has used the hosting of international events to bolster the country’s international image. However, this section also questions what price some of this has come at. The following section looks at some further examples of where foreign pressure and influence may lead changes with Japanese society. As a counterpoint to parts of the previous two sections, the next section looks at a variety of issues relating to Japan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter then looks at the way that Japan is sometimes reported in the media outside of Japan and also considers some issues relating to the workings of the media within Japan. The chapter concludes with a ‘Reflection’ section that asks you to consider some additional issues that relate to the topics that have been covered in the chapter.
