Framing security: A tri-cultural discourse analysis of newspaper reports about the United States military in Okinawa

In this dissertation, I use "discourse analysis" to examine the way in which American, mainland Japanese, and Okinawan newspapers covered the issue of American military bases in Okinawa during a period of intense media attention to the United States-Japan military alliance. This period began with the rape of an Okinawan schoolgirl by three American servicemen in September 1995 and continued until April 1996, when a joint declaration by President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto reaffirmed the necessity of the American military bases in Japan. My central thesis is that during this period, newspaper reporters in all three areas "framed" their stories in ways that supported the ideological hegemony of cultural elites within their particular societies.; I begin by defining the relevant terms such as "hegemony," "ideology," "discourse," and "framing." I then identify four competing ideological models regarding the American military bases in Japan. I define the "Security Model" as a pro-base way of understanding the issue that focuses on external threats to Japan and to American interests in the Pacific. The "Cooperation Model" focuses on domestic benefits of the American military bases to all the three areas. The "Imperialism Model" focuses on the danger that American bases will involve Okinawa in external conflicts. The "Occupation Model" focuses on the ways in which the bases are a threat to the domestic peace and well being of Okinawans.; A discourse analysis of six newspapers---two American, two mainland Japanese, and two Okinawan---confirms my theses. Both Okinawa newspapers mirrored the local government's Occupation Model ideology. Both American newspapers showed a preference for the same Security Model propositions and themes that were favored by the Clinton Administration. The ideological direction of the two Japanese newspapers was less clear. I conclude that this is because the Japan central government---while exerting strong influence on the press---maintained a contradictory and poorly articulated ideological position regarding the base issue.