A Study On The Construction Of The Media Image Of "Comfort Women" In Asahi Shimbun(1991-2020)

From the past to the present,the issue of "comfort women" has undergone a process of change from receding into obscurity to receiving special attention.In an era when the media image of the "comfort women" in China is gradually becoming clearer and more three-dimensional,the media image created by the Japanese media should not be ignored.Therefore,this paper selects Asahi Shimbun,one of the mainstream media in Japan,as the object of this study,to analyse the specific media image of "comfort women" constructed by the Japanese media and its influencing factors,and to explore the specific strategies behind its construction.The study takes the first time that a Korean elder,Kim Hak-soon,testified against the Japanese government in August 1991 as the starting point,and analyses the number of reports on "comfort women" in the Asahi Shimbun from 1991 to 2020,as well as the genre of the texts,the tendency of the reports,the themes of the reports and their contents.The study found that Japanese media coverage focused on the image of the "comfort women" as a group,but not as individuals,presenting six types of images: World War II victims,forced women,historical witnesses,complainants,recipients of social aid/donations,and the focus of the diplomatic war.The focus of the images varies from one period to another,and the image changes from that of the victim to that of the social aid/donation recipient to that of the diplomatic war.What remains the same is the long-established image of the Japanese media as a victim of WWII.What has not changed is the persistence of the Japanese media in constructing the image of the 'victim of WWII' and avoiding the presentation of the image of the'forced woman'.The construction of the media image is a reflection of the changes in Japan's international relations,particularly those influenced by the US military alliance.Secondly,the social changes in Japan and the expansion of the conservative party regime gave rise to a media image of the Asahi Shimbun that was 'antagonistic' to the position of the Japanese government.At the same time,Japan's aberrant nationalist ideology continued to influence public perceptions inwardly,leading to the gradual reduction of images in the media that were 'contrary' to the Japanese government's position.In terms of media image construction strategies,Fairclough's theory of discourse analysis was used to analyse the three dimensions of text,discursive practice and social practice.The study finds that the text is interpreted in a pan-political manner,symbiotically linking the political ecology with the media's public opinion environment;the discourse is constructed by using quotations,quotations and background information to supplement the news facts and expressions;and the social practice presents an "internal and external distinction" approach to reporting,confronting political conservatism internally and standing up for national interests externally.