The Ruptures of Rhetoric: Cool Japan, Tokyo 2020 and Post-3.11 Tohoku
Policymakers in Japan have adopted a discourse to link the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to the recovery of Japan’s northern Tohoku region following the March 2011 triple disaster (3.11). This discourse has created a dissonance between 3.11-affected communities, policy-makers and wider Japan. To understand th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The Japan Foundation, Sydney
2019-07-01
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| Series: | New Voices in Japanese Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://newvoices.org.au/volume-11/the-ruptures-of-rhetoric-cool-japan-tokyo-2020-and-post-3-11-tohoku |
| _version_ | 1818979972921950208 |
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| author | Pepi Ronalds |
| author_facet | Pepi Ronalds |
| author_sort | Pepi Ronalds |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Policymakers in Japan have adopted a discourse to link the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to the recovery of Japan’s northern Tohoku region following the March 2011 triple disaster (3.11). This discourse has created a dissonance between 3.11-affected communities, policy-makers and wider Japan. To understand this dissonance, this article explores the implicit agendas behind Japan’s Olympics efforts (such as positioning sports as a facilitator and symbol of recovery), its Cool Japan initiative (as a nation-branding and nation-building strategy) and other actions (such as labelling the 2020 event ‘the Reconstruction Olympics’). It then analyses the opinions of people from affected areas, gathered through interview research and from popular media, to demonstrate that the use of recovery rhetoric to promote the Olympics is being poorly received among some in 3.11-affected communities. Community concerns circle around availability of construction resources as well as the fact that recovery is not yet complete. This article contends that the events of 3.11, combined with the pursuit of the Olympics, has effected changes in the social imaginary and in regional ideas of belonging among 3.11-affected communities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T17:08:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ed2ae72922be45de826e36be2c8c7f4d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2205-3166 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T17:08:02Z |
| publishDate | 2019-07-01 |
| publisher | The Japan Foundation, Sydney |
| record_format | Article |
| series | New Voices in Japanese Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-ed2ae72922be45de826e36be2c8c7f4d2022-12-21T19:32:14ZengThe Japan Foundation, SydneyNew Voices in Japanese Studies2205-31662019-07-0111264610.21159/nvjs.11.02The Ruptures of Rhetoric: Cool Japan, Tokyo 2020 and Post-3.11 TohokuPepi Ronalds0Monash UniversityPolicymakers in Japan have adopted a discourse to link the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to the recovery of Japan’s northern Tohoku region following the March 2011 triple disaster (3.11). This discourse has created a dissonance between 3.11-affected communities, policy-makers and wider Japan. To understand this dissonance, this article explores the implicit agendas behind Japan’s Olympics efforts (such as positioning sports as a facilitator and symbol of recovery), its Cool Japan initiative (as a nation-branding and nation-building strategy) and other actions (such as labelling the 2020 event ‘the Reconstruction Olympics’). It then analyses the opinions of people from affected areas, gathered through interview research and from popular media, to demonstrate that the use of recovery rhetoric to promote the Olympics is being poorly received among some in 3.11-affected communities. Community concerns circle around availability of construction resources as well as the fact that recovery is not yet complete. This article contends that the events of 3.11, combined with the pursuit of the Olympics, has effected changes in the social imaginary and in regional ideas of belonging among 3.11-affected communities.https://newvoices.org.au/volume-11/the-ruptures-of-rhetoric-cool-japan-tokyo-2020-and-post-3-11-tohokuJapan3.11contemporaryCool JapannationalismrebuildingrecoveryTohokuTokyo 2020 Olympics |
| spellingShingle | Pepi Ronalds The Ruptures of Rhetoric: Cool Japan, Tokyo 2020 and Post-3.11 Tohoku New Voices in Japanese Studies Japan 3.11 contemporary Cool Japan nationalism rebuilding recovery Tohoku Tokyo 2020 Olympics |
| title | The Ruptures of Rhetoric: Cool Japan, Tokyo 2020 and Post-3.11 Tohoku |
| title_full | The Ruptures of Rhetoric: Cool Japan, Tokyo 2020 and Post-3.11 Tohoku |
| title_fullStr | The Ruptures of Rhetoric: Cool Japan, Tokyo 2020 and Post-3.11 Tohoku |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Ruptures of Rhetoric: Cool Japan, Tokyo 2020 and Post-3.11 Tohoku |
| title_short | The Ruptures of Rhetoric: Cool Japan, Tokyo 2020 and Post-3.11 Tohoku |
| title_sort | ruptures of rhetoric cool japan tokyo 2020 and post 3 11 tohoku |
| topic | Japan 3.11 contemporary Cool Japan nationalism rebuilding recovery Tohoku Tokyo 2020 Olympics |
| url | https://newvoices.org.au/volume-11/the-ruptures-of-rhetoric-cool-japan-tokyo-2020-and-post-3-11-tohoku |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT pepironalds therupturesofrhetoriccooljapantokyo2020andpost311tohoku AT pepironalds rupturesofrhetoriccooljapantokyo2020andpost311tohoku |