13th JAMCO Online International Symposium./Online Symposium Summary

Online Symposium Summary

Koichi Iwabuchi
Symposium Coordinator
Assistant Professor
International Christian University

The 13th JAMCO Online International Symposium, on the theme of "Japanese TV Dramas that Go Beyond 'Japan': Their Transnational Significance and Influence," examined how Japanese television dramas are received and hybridized in other countries in accordance with varied elements of the social and historical contexts of other countries and what influence they have. Studies of Japanese television programs crossing the national borders so far have focused on how images of Japan are created and introduced in other countries. This symposium adopted a slightly different perspective, discussing various aspects of the transnationalization of Japanese television programs in connection with theoretical views of media globalization. Yumiko Hara gives an overview of the international circulation of programs, centering on Japan, based on the most recent survey data. Christine R. Yano, Dong-Hoo Lee, and Lisa Leung made thought-provoking keynote presentations on television dramas, based on their extensive fieldwork. The discussion was furthered with constructive comments from Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto, Michael Keane, and Yu-Fen Ko. In summing up the symposium here, I would like to touch on some of future issues and concerns that should be examined with a view to furthering research into the transnational flow in television programs, drawing on the content of the lectures presented.
       The first issue is globalization's encouragement of "similar and different" cultures. Globalization is often said to promote uniformity throughout the world due to the propagation of American culture, but this has not actually been the case. In fact, globalization has more often highlighted differences and led to the birth of new media circulation. As suggested by Lee and Leung, lively exchange of television programs is taking place in East Asia on many different levels and in many directions. This activity is not unrelated to the standardization of culture brought about by globalization. It may sound paradoxical, but as far as media culture is concerned, diverse differences are coming to light in all parts of the world precisely while the media and consumer culture formats developing mainly in the United States are spreading globally. Lee argues that not only have Japanese television dramas been accepted abroad, even their format has been localized within the distinct socio-cultural context of Korea. She also vividly describes the complexities and contradictions of the process. But whereas this shows the specificity of media circulation in the East Asian cultural context, it also clearly demonstrates that the production of a "similar and different" culture has been structured under globalizing forces and incorporated into the market strategies of the media industry in East Asia as well. With media culture being formatted in accordance with the logic of capital, what television programs are selected for formatting, and which elements in those programs are chosen for homogenization and differentiation, and how? The complex relationships involved need to be thoroughly examined in various East Asian contexts and against the background of the dynamics of globalization.
       The fact that media markets closely interlink transnationally creates the problem of unevenness in the traffic of television culture. Leung, analyzing and comparing Japanese dramas with even more popular Korean television dramas, argues that media culture circulation in East Asia has become multidirectional. She clearly shows that cultural distance incorporating both proximity and distance is expressed and accepted in different ways. But the flourishing of Japanese and Korean television dramas shows that not only is media circulation in East Asia multi-centered, it is also giving birth to new imbalances. It is certainly unprecedented that viewers in many regions of Asia can watch Japanese and Korean television dramas on a daily basis. But dramas produced throughout Asia do not all circulate to an equal extent. Although far more foreign programs can be viewed in Asian cities through satellite or cable television today, those programs are still only produced in a very few countries. The greater the transnationalization of television programs in East Asia, the more international disparities become entrenched.
       In addition, this is not simply a transnational issue between countries. More exactly, programs circulating in East Asia are not Japanese and Korean dramas, they are dramas produced by television broadcasters in Tokyo and Seoul. In that sense, the increasingly closer links being forged are those between the media industry in the major cities of East Asia, and it is the stories representing the life in those urban space that are shown in other countries. Even though viewers like to watch Japanese and Korean television dramas, it should be noted, those dramas are merely certain types of stories produced by television broadcasters in a dominant position in their respective countries. One must remember that those dramas do not depict the reality experienced by the vast majority of people in many areas. A major issue that will need to be urgently explored is a critical examination of how dominant social perspectives and discourses with respect to gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, social class, the urban/rural divide, age, etc. are shared transnationally; what alternative perspectives are excluded from that; and how viewers in another country negotiate the meaning of texts. We need to examine those questions through a comparative survey of the circulation and reception of television programs that transgress the national borders in Asia.
       Advances in media communication technology and the close links among markets and the industry have made transnational broadcasting of television programs a routine practice. Now people are watching Japanese television programs not just in East Asia but throughout the world. For example, Yano eloquently shows that even though Japanese television producers may create programs with only Japanese viewers in mind, their responsibility in terms of cultural politics of media representation no longer stops there. I would like to further emphasize that this issue is closely related to the domestic problem of how television broadcasting should reflect diversity within Japan. Lately there has been lively discussion concerning terrestrial digital broadcasting, but while much mention is being made of the "new" television, with its sharp picture and multi-function/interactive features, very little has been said (even by NHK) concerning how television as a significant agent of constructing public sphere can reflect the multicultural and multinational aspects of present-day Japan. Increasing transnational migration has loosened and blurred boundaries, and sense of belonging in society are becoming more fluid and complicated. In order to consciously address the important issue of who is being referred to or unwittingly excluded in "our viewers" or "we" heard on Japanese television, we must urgently reexamine the public nature of the media, and endeavor to move beyond the existing fixed framework of "Japan."
       In any case, it is certain that the social and cultural significance and influence of Japanese television programs, which can no longer be conceived as exclusively "Japanese" due to the development of media globalization, will increase, and the issue of the public nature of television will loom larger. I hope that this Online Symposium has contributed to the advancement of research and discussion on this important topic.
       In closing, I would like to thank the organizations involved in this Symposium and all individuals who participated in the virtual meetings.