Constructing Latinamericanness in Japan: An Analysis of the Asahi Shinbun Coverage.

The homogeneity that has traditionally characterized Japan has also led to marked distinctions between Japanese people and the others; that is, those who do not fit the traditional definition of Japanese (same blood, same language, same land, same culture) and are considered outsiders. Although today's Japanese society proves to be more heterogeneous than previously accepted, there are still pervasive traces of the mental borderlands that separate Japanese and outsiders. Having this context, this paper focuses on a group of non-Japanese, the Latin American other as depicted by Japanese press. The construction of this image was examined by analyzing the coverage of Latin America in one of the Japan's largest newspapers, the Asahi Shimbun, over the last two decades. This study proved that Japan is open to the portrayal of new worlds and that interest in Latin America in this country has been increasing. Moreover, the results showed that the representations of Latinamericanness are framed by a tendency to focus on certain countries and kinds of news. In this connection, the unbalanced image of Latin America in Japan seems to be formed mainly by clear stereotypes that center on crime and soccer. This paper examines the possible relation between Japanese traditional values and this stereotyping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]