Protest and the Press in Okinawa: Framing Anger at the U.S. Military

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This past year, I have concentrated on analyzing news reports about American-base-caused problems that have appeared in the Okinawa Times, the Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun. Working with my research assistant, I refined my system for coding news discourse and have made significant progress in assigning stories to one of the four primary narrative frames I have identified. So far, I have confined my work to environmental issues related to the bases. My research assistant and I began by conducting an in-depth discourse analysis of more than three years of reports about PFOS and PFOA chemicals, which are used primarily as a fire-retardants on U.S. bases. High levels of these chemicals have been detected in Okinawan drinking water. While this has been a consistent front-page news in Okinawa, it has received limited attention in the national media. I have also found the framing of this story in the national news to be considerably different that how this information is presented to local Okinawan news. I have also made a start on coding and classifying stories on the degradation of sea life caused by the creation of the new U.S. Marine Air Base in Henoko. Analysis of these news stories has also allowed me to compile a list of individuals on all sides of these issues whom I have begun to contact for more background information and to arrange formal interviews.