DISCURSIVE REPRESENTATIONS OF SOCIALLY SENSITIVE ISSUES IN JAPANESE ADVERTISING DISCOURSE
DISCURSIVE REPRESENTATIONS OF SOCIALLY SENSITIVE ISSUES IN JAPANESE ADVERTISING DISCOURSE

Summary/Abstract: This article examines the signifying practices and language use in Japanese social advertising discourse that addresses contemporary societal challenges such as mental health, social isolation, discrimination and bullying. To examine the specifics of this discourse we will analyse several advertising posters and book covers from a cultural semiotics perspective, with focus on verbal and non-verbal signs. Starting from the premise that the Japanese cultural model strongly favours ambiguity (aimai) and negotiation of meaning, this paper intends to show how meaning is transferred from specific symbols and signs to a product, a cause or a specific behaviour, following this preference for subtlety over bluntness. The results show that in Japanese society, to facilitate communication and generate higher positive response, socially sensitive issues are approached indirectly, with the help of cute (kawaii) characters and soft words, rather than presenting it directly, with the help of authority figures (e.g. specialists) who explicitly articulate the issues.

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