Thread by @ProfDanSmith

As a comparative political scientist who often works with the case of #Japan, I have mixed feelings about stories in the @nytimes and other (US) media that highlight unrepresentative or "exotic" features of the country or its population. 🧵 1/n

https://twitter.com/jolyonbt/status/1334132950170996736

On the one hand, as @jolyonbt points out, these stories can be frustrating because they reinforce stereotypes or facile tropes, and often miss complexities and diversities, as well as paint universally common behavior as somehow uniquely Japanese (see #Nihonjinron). 2/n

On the other hand, they keep Japan in the imagination of a population (Americans, especially) that is otherwise woefully ignorant and uninformed about other countries, and may inspire further engagement and inquiry. 3/n

As an academic who works on the case of Japan, it is often my role as a teacher to help contextualize the country, put it into comparative perspective, and disabuse students of popular (mis)perceptions of its uniqueness. 4/n

But the students who are attracted to my courses on Japan often first become interested because of curious tidbits of culture or history that they pick up from these kinds of news stories, or anime, J-pop, etc. 5/n

As a researcher, a huge frustration is having to justify to journal referees (mostly Americans) why they should care about Japan, or convince them that basic hypotheses tested with Japanese data are generalizable. And this attitude may stem from the "exoticization" of Japan. 6/n

At the same time, Japan *is* mysterious for many Americans, and the less it seems like "just any other country," the more demand (jobs!) there will be for academics who *do* understand it and can explain. 7/n

In recent years, there's been concern about the future of Japan studies at US universities. Many departments no longer have a Japan expert, and aren't pushing to hire one (often despite having established resources and centers). See @paularcurtis prcurtis.com/events/AAS2020/ 8/n

My view is that *any* media coverage is good for the job prospects of Japan experts. If it's a problematic take, it creates the opportunity to discuss and inform, and demonstrate why Japan expertise is still very much needed in higher education (and in media and government). 9/n

“There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.” -Oscar Wilde. 10/n

Finally, I don't think the issue is unique to US coverage of Japan. Many (most?) countries get entirely ignored or stereotyped by US media. And... 11/n

Japanese media coverage of the US is also frequently slanted or incompletely informed, and sometimes downright racist. See for example, recent controversies about NHK's coverage of #BLM, which @jolyonbt carefully discusses in broader context here: 12/n

https://twitter.com/jolyonbt/status/1303731905498689536?s=20

I don't know if there is a "solution," but I would be interested to hear the perspectives of others. 13/13