For international consumption? Depictions of the Japanese diet and local foodstuffs in the news section of the NHK World-Japan website Cover Image

For international consumption? Depictions of the Japanese diet and local foodstuffs in the news section of the NHK World-Japan website
For international consumption? Depictions of the Japanese diet and local foodstuffs in the news section of the NHK World-Japan website

Author(s): Antony Hoyte-West
Subject(s): Cultural history, Media studies, Ethnohistory, Social history, Social Theory, Sociology of Culture
Published by: Botimet AAB – Kolegji AAB
Keywords: gastrodiplomacy; Japan; media diplomacy; media portrayal; washoku;

Summary/Abstract: With food representing an important part of national identity and cultural heritage, this article presents a short overview of the depiction of the traditional Japanese diet (washoku) and local foodstuffs on the news website of NHK World-Japan, the English-language international arm of Japan’s public broadcaster NHK. It firstly briefly highlights the importance and relevance of culinary traditions, before summarising the growing role of the media in international diplomacy, especially with regard to the nascent field of gastrodiplomacy. It subsequently outlines the chosen methodology (a qualitative content analysis), before presenting the results of the analysis, showing how the selected news items can be categorised into two groupings, one centring on sustainability in the domestic context and the other with a distinctly external focus.

  • Issue Year: 13/2024
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 2-10
  • Page Count: 9
  • Language: English
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