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Media and a culture of peace : Japanese case

Kawano, Noriyuki.

2000 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/93663

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Media and a Culture of Peace: Japanese Case

by Noriyuki KAWANO

Research Assistant, Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation, Hiroshima University, E-mail: [email protected]

1. Country Background a. Area and population Japan consists of the four main islands of , Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu and about 3000 small islands including the Nansei, or Ryukyu island chain. In term of political divisions, it consists of 47 prefectures. Thirty-four of these are in Honshu, 7 in Kyushu, and 4 in Shikoku. The remaining 2 are the island of Hokkaido, all of which is treated as one prefecture, and Okinawa prefecture, which occupies the major portion of the Nansei Islands. Most Japanese, however, think of their country in term of the regional divisions. Their eight regional divisions are shown in the Map 1.

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Map 1 Eight regional Divisions of Japan

The population of Japan is approximately 126,500,000. The people of Japan consists of 99 % Japanese; the remaining one percent consists of the Ainu, Koreans, Chinese, and other foreigners. "l

b. Religion Religious life in Japan is rich and varied, with a long history of interaction among a number of religious traditions. Most of the individual features of Japanese religion are not unique; the distinctiveness of Japanese religion lies in the total pattern of interacting tradition. Many traditional Japanese beliefs and practices harken back to prehistoric customs, and most of these form the core of , the only major religion indigenous to Japan. Indian Buddhism, the Chinese contributions of Confucianism and Taoism, and, much later, Christianity were introduced to Japan from the West. All these foreign traditions have undergone significant transformations in a process of mutual influence with the native tradition. (Campbell 1993: 1251)

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Religion in modern Japan has undergone gradual and significant changes throughout Japanese history. After the remarkable changes in national life of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, religion changed even more drastically. (Campbell 1993: 1252) During the , both Shinto and especially Buddhism became more highly formalized, and the still vital folk traditions tended to attract more of the attention and enthusiastic participation of the people. In the 19th century, popular movements formed around pilgrimage associations and charismatic leaders. Such groups often expanded to form the so-called New Religions. Until 1945 the government controlled religion closely, but new religious movements continued to arise and expand, and after 1945 they became the most conspicuous development of the religious scene. With urbanization and centralization, folk customs generally and folk religion in particular declined. Social mobility, especially immigration to cities, tended to weaken both local ties and family relationships, in turn impinging upon organized religion. (Campbell 1993: 1252) A significant event for religion during the Allied (1945-52) was the enactment of complete religious freedom. Technically, there had been freedom of religion since the CONSTITUTION OF THE OF 1889, but in actuality government control was so stringent that it had been almost impossible to organize religious groups and propagate religious freedom meant that any religious group could now organize independently under its own auspices and be exempt from taxes. This resulted in the proliferation of hundreds of new religions and the Buddhist denominations. (Campbell 1993: 1252) Currently, it can be said that religions are not very important to young people. Most have no interest in religion, in particular, they pay no attention to the differences among them. For example, for a couple to hold their wedding in a church, even though the family of the bridegroom may be Shinto and that of the bride Buddhist, is neither a rarity^ in Japan nor a problem for either family. According to the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Words, about 92 % believe in Buddhism and/or Shinto. However, as mentioned above, this number can provide no insight into the discussion of , since most Japanese have no interest in religion. In other words, there is no war or conflict concerning religion in Japan.

2. Understanding Peace in Japan a. Peace in Japan According to Takeshi Ishida (1968), the word, "peace" in each culture and each country has different meanings. Moreover, Ishida indicates that the meaning of "peace" can be ambiguous within one culture. For example, the meaning of the Japanese word "Heiwa (peace)" diverges greatly between different population groups. The meaning components of "Heiwa" for students are "no war", "no atomic

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bomb", "love or happiness", "no nuclear arms race", "freedom", and so forth (Matsuo 1985: 8-10). On the other hand, the meaning components of "Hiewa" used by Japanese prime ministers in the post­ war era are "world", "international society", "nation", "Asia", "economic", "prosperity", "international cooperation", "diplomacy" and so on (Kawano 1999: 33). Prime ministers of the postwar Japan frequently have used the Japanese word "heiwa" in order to appeal to the Japanese public and recruit their sympathy and support (Kawano 1999: 41). According to Ishida (1989), the same word was used to justify war in prewar Japan. Therefore, we must observe closely the differences in meaning among all levels of people.

b. Culture of Peace The concept of peace culture also has various meanings. According to Article 1 of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace of RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY in the United Nations, the concepts of peace culture are as follows: A culture of peace is a set of values, attitudes, traditions, and modes of behaviour and ways of life based on: (a) Respect for life, ending of violence and promotion and practice of non-violence through education, dialogue and cooperation; (b) Full respect for the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of States and non-intervention in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any State, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and international law; (c) Full respect for and promotion of all human rights and fundamental freedoms; (d) Commitment to peaceful settlement of conflicts; (e) Efforts to meet the developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations; (f) Respect for and promotion of the right to development; (g) Respect for and promotion of equal rights and opportunities for women and men; (h) Respect for and promotion of the right of everyone to freedom of expression, opinion and information; (i) Adherence to the principles of freedom, justice, democracy, tolerance, solidarity, cooperation, pluralism, cultural diversity, dialogue and understanding at all levels of society and among nations; and fostered by an enabling national and international environment conducive to peace. Within this set of criteria, the ending of violence is clearly the most important. This concept is both very idealistic and quite vague. Indeed, there are many wars, armed conflicts, and the other types of violence occurring today, causing a great deal of loss for a great number of people. The Somali Democratic Republic or Republic of Angola

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among countless others, illustrate this fact. However, in the above- mentioned document, the ending of violence is defined as the most important definition of peace culture. From this point of view, this paper will examine the role of the media in promoting a culture of peace. That is, we should consider the role of in resolving the violence that threatens people in Japan and throughout the world.

3. Role of Media According to The Nihon Shinbun Kyokai (NSK)*2 there are 121 in Japan and circulation of the is about 72,400,000. The survey of NSK indicates that over 80 % of all Japanese read newspapers every day. This number suggests that the newspaper has considerable influence upon the people. Moreover, the newspaper influences not only the people but also the government, since the percentage of the people supporting a prime minister can be influenced by reports or articles circulated by the mass media, particularly by newspapers. Although there are many methods to examine the role of the media in promoting a culture of peace, this paper will utilize a survey based on a standard questionnaire prepared by Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC). This questionnaire appears in the Appendix of this paper. First, a breakdown of the respondents of questionnaire must be given. Twenty eight responses, including 19 males and 9 females, were collected from the following groups: (1) 7 students at the Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation, Hiroshima University, including two foreign students; (2) 8 academic staff members of Hiroshima University (most belong to the Peace Studies Association of Japan and their research areas include peace studies, international relations, education, etc); (3) 3 mass media members from the Chugoku area (the vicinity of Hiroshima Prefecture, see the map 1); (4) 4 representatives of religions, including 2 Christians and 2 Shintoists; (5) 3 representatives of NGO groups which are active in development education and women's rights; (6) 3 representatives of Hiroshima Peace Groups which are for mainly hibakusha (atomic bomb victim) in Hiroshima, and are opposed to atomic weapons. a. The result of data The results of question #3 (see Appendix) are shown in the Tables 1-6 below. Question number three includes six different statements, to which respondents were asked to agree or disagree. This section discusses the results of each table with short comment. It is very difficult to draw a firm conclusion about the results shown in Table 1. Of course, all media persons queried denied that is negative, but it is difficult to conclude unconditionally that news is whole positive in nature. One reason the opinions of the

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respondents can be so sharply divided is that this question doesn't specify subjects or topics within the broad category of "news." That is, whether "news is negative" or "news is positive" depends largely on the content. Generally speaking, the mass media of Japan try to maintain an unbiased central position. This means that newspapers in Japan should not be negative or positive in nature; rather, they should do nothing more than report fairly the facts of each story. Table 2 below corresponds to the second part of question three. Most of the respondents agreed with this statement, that mass media in Japan give prominence to events such as wars, international conflicts, inter-ethnic strife and misunderstanding. In other words, mass media strongly affect people. For example, in Japan's case, one of the important roles of mass media is to introduce these conflicts and wars in foreign countries to the general. This kind of report encourages understanding among the of the necessity of overseas economic aid. Summarizing the result of Table 3 is also difficult. 11 of 28 persons agreed with the statement, "reporting about religion is often biased, unbalanced and subjective." while the remaining 17 people disagreed. As a matter of course, media persons objected to this idea, because, as previously mentioned, the mass media of Japan keep some distance from all groups. From this point of view, the mass media must keep some distance from even religious groups. Therefore, reporting about religions in Japan is often biased, unbalanced or subjective, we must understand that this goes against the ethic of the press. Most respondents agreed with the fourth part of the question. There are countless examples of organizations in Japan concerned with promoting peace, such as the Association to Aid Refugees, Japan; Services for the Health in Asian & African religions; and Greenpeace Japan. Some of these NGOs are sometimes supported financially by religious groups. The percentage of respondents who disagreed to the statement given^ in Table 5 is slightly higher than the percentage of those who agreed. The writer of this paper holds the view of the majority. The mass media's relationship with Japanese peace- related organizations is weak, in particular the mass media know little about such groups. From this data, we understand that mass media in Japan are not perceived as having established good relations with religious and societal groups and NGOs. Moreover, we are aware that all parties concerned must cooperate to promote a culture of peace. Therefore, in Japan's case, the role of the mass media must be not only reporting all kinds of conflicts on foreign countries but also reporting the grass-roots movement for peace occurring within Japan as well as throughout the world.

4. Comments from Respondents As mentioned previously, the roles of mass media in Japan

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should be to report all kinds of foreign conflicts and also reporting the grass-roots peace movement. Toward this end, religious and societal groups and NGOs themselves must also send a political voice to the media, the govenment, and the people. Currently, the political influence of NGOs is not substantial, but it should be increasing in the near future. This country paper is written by referring to the respondents of a questionnaire. In fact, these respondents are themselves persons who promote a culture of peace. As such, we must also consider their comments or ideas. Their remarks help us to understand the role of the Japanese mass media in promoting peace culture, the relationship between the mass media and religion, and the future of the relationship between the mass media and all parties concerned for promoting a culture of peace.

Ideas of respondents (a) Are there examples of media in Japan that have adopted "good practices" in reporting about religions? If so, please elaborate. (1) There are some fair TV reports concerning religion, (student) (2) This morning I read in the newspaper the introduction of a speech by the president of Iran. This was quite persuasive that Moslem tradition can also contribute to democracy, (academic staff) (3) Media in Japan keeps some distance from religion because media maintains the standpoint that "restricting religion" is "negation of culture." (academic staff) (4) A report concerning the Pope visiting Jerusalem and apologizing to Jews for persecution during WWII, (religion) (5) A report about a conflict between Israel and Palestine, (religion) (6) Generally speaking, media in Japan has common sense. (Hiroshima Peace Group)

(b) Are there examples of media in Japan that have made positive contributions to the promotion of peace, mutual understanding and tolerance? If so, please elaborate. (1) Some NHK (that is public ) special programs cover of peace movements, (academic staff) (2) Sometimes, the media provides good information on peace and related topics, ( TV programs, newspaper reports) like Kosovo.( academic staff) (3) Yes, but very rare. One example is the special report on the new Fishery Treaty between Korea and Japan which appeared in August- September 1999 in the Chugoku Shinbun Newspaper (a local paper around Hiroshima prefecture). It is to promote mutual understanding between Japanese and Korean fishermen, (academic staff) (4) Media in Hiroshima make reports that contribute to the promotion of a culture of peace. But it is very doubtful whether it proves effective in practice. Media is sometimes prejudiced, (media)

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(5) A report about the movement for an unified nation between North and South Koreas. (Religion) (6) News tells us only facts, but never brings up any questions.

(c) Do you have any suggestions as to how media and such groups in Japan can work together to promote a culture of peace? (1) Mass media should make reports concerning positive activities of such groups, (student) (2) The first thing is to get rid of the bias that Japanese people are not concerned with foreign affairs, especially conflicts in Africa, etc. Media- related groups can change the assumption together by providing well- balanced coverage of world affairs. Eliminating some superstitutions regarding peace is also important. Peace is not only a word for left-wing people. It is not an abstract topic; it is very concrete, (academic staff) (3) The parties concerned must not act self-righteously. Media must be based on fairness, neutrality, and accurate information, (academic staff) (4) Media tries to make reports objective and relative. It leads the groups concerned to cooperate, (academic staff) (5) In the context of Japan, the scope for religious groups to work in this direction is limited because of Japanese attitudes toward religions. Media may play some roles, but the limitation of knowledge narrows this, too. (academic staff) (6) The most important thing is that all parties concerned appeal their activities to the public, (media) (7) When we think about peace, we always have to look at the world situation. It doesn't have any meaning if we say only "we need peace". The media has to grasp real nature of a group, then make reports about it. The media is required to find out or select the groups that can promote a peace of culture, (media) (8) We should accept the fact that our common agenda is peace of the whole world, environment, and preserving all lives, (religion) (9) To establish a conference for all parties concerned and to exchange talent with each other are very important. (NGO) (10) the media must pay attention to grass-roots movements. (Hiroshima Peace Group)

Notes *1 The number of foreign nationals resident in Japan as of 1990 is 1,075,317. The largest national group represented, accounting for 64 % of the total, is composed of North and South Koreans. The second national group, consisted of 14 % of the total, is Chinese including Taiwanese. There are many problems concerning different types of discrimination between these minority people and Japanese. This paper, however, never touch this kind of problems because of limited time and space. The Ainu are indigenous people of Hokkaido. In 1986 the total number of people in Hokkaido identifying themselves as Ainu was 24,381.

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*2 It has been translated into English as "The Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association". Most of newspapers belong to this organization. The detail of this organization is as follow: http://www.pressnet.or.jp/

Reference Campbell, Alan et al (eds.) (1993), JAPAN: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, : Ishida, Takeshi (1968), Heiwa no Seijigaku (Politics for Peace), Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten Ishida, Takeshi (1989), Nihon no Seiji to Kotoba, Ge: Heiwa to Kokka (Politics and Language in Japan, Second Part: "Peace" and "Nation"), Tokyo: Tokyo University Press Kawano, Noriyuki (1999), The Meaning of "Heiwa (Peace)" for Japanese Prime Ministers: An Analysis of Speeches of Japanese Prime Ministers in the Post-war Diet (1945-1985), Journal of International Development and Cooperation, Vol.5, No.l, 31-43 Matsuo, Masatsugu (1985), Japanese People's Image of Peace, PSAJ Newsletter, 8-10

Table 1. News is basically negative in nature Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Total Agree disagree University Students 0 3 4 0 7 (i) Academic staff <2) 0 4 3 1 8 Mass Media <3' 0 0 2 1 3 Representatives of 0 1 3 0 4 Religions <4) Representatives of 0 1 2 0 3 NGOs (5) Representatives of 0 1 2 0 3 Hiroshima Peace

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Groups <6) TOTAL 0 10 16 2 28 Note (1) Students at Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation, Hiroshima University, including two foreign students. (2) Academic staff members at Hiroshima University. Most belong to Peace Studies Association of Japan. Their research area include peace studies, international relations, education, etc. (3) In the Chugoku area (see the Map 1). (4) Christian {Ministry} (2), Buddhist (0), Shintoist (2). (5) Groups are active in development education and a right for women. (6) Groups are for mainly hibakusha(a.tomic bomb victim) in Hiroshima and are opposed to atomic weapons.

Table2. Mass media in my country give prominence to events such as conflict between nations, wars, inter-ethnic strife and misunderstandings. Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Total Agree disagree University 0 4 3 0 7 Students Academic staff 1 6 0 1 8 Mass Media 0 3 0 0 3 Representatives of 1 2 1 0 4 Religions Representatives of 0 3 0 0 3 NGOs Representatives of 1 2 0 0 3 Hiroshima Peace Groups TOTAL 3 20 4 1 28

Table 3. Reporting about religions in my country is often biased, imbalanced and subjective. Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Total Agree disagree University 0 4 3 0 7 Students

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Academic staff 0 3 5 0 8 Mass Media 0 0 3 0 3 Representatives of 1 1 2 0 4 Religions Representatives of 0 2 1 0 3 NGOs Representatives of 0 0 3 0 3 Hiroshima Peace Groups TOTAL 1 10 17 0 28

Table 4. Religious and societal groups and NGOs in my country have performed well in promoting peace, understanding and tolerance? Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Total Agree disagree University 0 4 3 0 7 Students Academic staff 0 4 4 0 8 Mass Media 1 2 0 0 3 Representatives of 0 4 0 0 4 Religions Representatives of 0 3 0 0 3 NGOs Representatives of 0 3 0 0 3 Hiroshima Peace Groups TOTAL 1 20 7 0 28

Table 5. Religious and societal groups and NGOs have established good relations with the mass media in my country. Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Total Agree disagree University 0 1 6 0 7 Students Academic staff 0 3 5 0 8 Mass Media 0 1 2 0 3 Representatives of 0 3 0 1 4 Religions Representatives of 0 2 1 0 3 NGOs Representatives of 0 2 1 0 3 Hiroshima Peace Groups TOTAL 0 12 15 1 28

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Table 6. All parties concerned have to work much more closely to promote a culture of peace. Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Total Agree disagree University 1 6 0 0 7 Students Academic staff 3 4 1 0 8 Mass Media 0 3 0 0 3 Representatives of 1 3 0 0 4 Religions Representatives of 0 3 0 0 3 NGOs Representatives of 2 0 1 0 3 Hiroshima Peace Groups TOTAL 7 19 2 0 28 Comments/ Elaboration 1. Religious groups in Japan are not visible activists. It is very sensitive in Japan. There is no national or social consensus regarding the status, (academic staff) 2. I agree that all parties have to work much more closely to promote a culture of peace, but "disclosure and criticism" are more important, (academic staff) 3. Strained relations among all parties are more significant than close relationship among them. (Hiroshima Peace Group) 4. Knowledge about culture, ethnic, or religious conflict is very limited in Japan. Even the mass media know very little about them, I think. Religious groups and NGOs in Japan are not very prominent in promoting peace, although they have tried to do so. It is, in my opinion, partly because the Japanese have not developed meaningful subcultures of own. (academic staff)

Appendix EXPLORATORY SURVEY ON ASIAN MEDIA AND A CULTURE OF PEACE

1. Introduction The Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) is preparing a tracer report on the role of Asian media in facilitating a culture of peace. This report will be partly based on a survey of

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respondents drawn from media persons, advocates of peace, representatives of religious groups and NGOs. The aim of the exploratory survey is to determine perceptions of selected respondents in seven countries (India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines and Sri Lanka) regarding the role and performance of media in promoting a culture of peace. You have been identified as a respondent whose views and opinions are important for this project. We will therefore be very grateful if you could take a few minutes of your time in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher in your country.

1. Personal Particulars Name: Occupation: Designation: Institution: 2. Professional and Societal Affiliation (a) Are you a member of or affiliated to any professional organization (e.g. journalists' union, academic association, etc)? If so, kindly elaborate.

(b) Are you a member of or affiliated to any societal organization (e.g. religious group, social organization, NGO, etc)? If so, kindly elaborate.

3. Opinions on Performance of Media, Religious and Societal Groups and NGOs

Given below are some statements. Please indicate by circling whether you strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree. You can comment on your stance in the space below. 1. News is basically negative in nature. Strongly Agree/agree/Disagree/Strongly disagree 2. Mass media in my country give prominence to events such as conflict between nations, wars, inter-ethnic strife and misunderstandings. Strongly Agree/Agree/Disagree/Strongly Disagree 3. Reporting about religions in my country is often biased, imbalanced and subjective. Strongly Agree/ Agree/ Disagree/Strongly Disagree 4. Religious and societal groups and NGOs in my country have performed well in promoting peace, understanding and tolerance? Strongly Agree/Agree/Disagree/strongly disagree 5. Religious and societal groups and NGOs have established good relations with the mass media in my country. Strongly Agree/Agree/Disagree/Strongly Disagree 6. All parties concerned have to work much more closely to promote a culture of peace Strongly Agree/Agree/Disagree/Strongly Disagree

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Comments/ Elaboration:

4. Good Practices in Promoting a Culture of Peace (a) Are there examples of media in your country that have adopted "good practices" in reporting about religions? If so, please elaborate.

(b) Are there examples of media in your country that have made positive contributions to the promotion of peace, mutual understanding and tolerance? If so, please elaborate.

(c) Do you have any suggestions as to how media and such groups in your country can work together to promote a culture of peace?

Thank you very much for your cooperation and understanding.

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Table 1 Noriyuki KAWANO Hiroshima University JAPAN EXPLORATORY SURVEY ON ASIAN MEDIA AND A CULTURE OF PEACE

3.Opinions on Performance of Media, Religious and Societal Groups and NGOs 1. News is basically negative in nature. Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Total Agree disagree University Students 0 3 4 0 7 (D Academic staff(2) 0 4 3 1 8 Mass Media (3) 0 0 2 1 3 Representatives of 0 1 3 0 4 Religions (4) Representatives of 0 1 2 0 3 NGOs W Representatives of 0 1 2 0 3 Hiroshima Peace Groups (6) TOTAL 0 10 16 2 28 Note (1) Students at Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation, Hiroshima University, including two foreign students. (2) Academic staff at Hiroshima University. Most of them belong to Peace Studies Association of Japan. Their research areas are peace studies, international relations, education, and so forth. (3) In only Chugoku area (only around Hiroshima Prefecture). (4) Christian {Ministry} (2), Buddhist (0), Shintoist (2). (5) Groups are active in development education and a right for women. (6) Groups are for mainly hibakushai&tomic bomb victim) in Hiroshima and are against atomic bomb. ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library

2. Mass media in my country give prominence to events such as conflict between nations, wars, inter-ethnic strife and misunderstandings. Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Total Agree disagree University Students 0 4 3 0 7 Academic staff 1 6 0 1 8 Mass Media 0 3 0 0 3 Representatives of 1 2 1 0 4 Religions Representatives of 0 3 0 0 3 NGOs Representatives of 1 2 0 0 3 Hiroshima Peace Groups TOTAL 3 20 4 1 28

3. Reporting about religions in my country is often biased, imbalanced and subjective. Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Total Agree disagree University Students 0 4 3 0 7 Academic staff 0 3 5 0 8 Mass Media 0 0 3 0 3 Representatives of 1 1 2 0 4 Religions Representatives of 0 2 1 0 3 NGOs Representatives of 0 0 3 0 3 Hiroshima Peace Groups TOTAL 1 10 17 0 28

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4. Religious and societal groups and NGOs in my country have performed well in promoting peace, understanding and tolerance? Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Total Agree disagree University Students 0 4 3 0 7 Academic staff 0 4 4 0 8 Mass Media 1 2 0 0 3 Representatives of 0 4 0 0 4 Religions Representatives of 0 3 0 0 3 NGOs Representatives of 0 3 0 0 3 Hiroshima Peace Groups TOTAL 1 20 7 0 28

5. Religious and societal groups and NGOs have established good relations with the mass media in my country. Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Total Agree disagree University Students 0 1 6 0 7 Academic staff 0 3 5 0 8 Mass Media 0 1 2 0 3 Representatives of 0 3 0 1 4 Religions Representatives of 0 2 1 0 3 NGOs Representatives of 0 2 1 0 3 Hiroshima Peace Groups TOTAL 0 12 15 1 28

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6. All parties concerned have to work much more closely to promote a culture of peace. Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Total Agree disagree University Students 1 6 0 0 7 Academic staff 3 4 1 0 8 Mass Media 0 3 0 0 3 Representatives of 1 3 0 0 4 Religions Representatives of 0 3 0 0 3 NGOs Representatives of 2 0 1 0 3 Hiroshima Peace Groups TOTAL 7 19 2 0 28 Comments/Elaboration 1. Religion groups in Japan are not visible activists. It is very sensitive in Japan. There is no national or social consensus as regards the status, (academic staff) 2. I agree that all parties have to work much more closely to promote a culture of peace, but "disclosure and criticism" is more important, (academic staff) - 3. Strained relations among all parties are more significant than closely relationship among them. (Hiroshima P.eace Group) 4. Knowledge about culture, ethnic, or religious conflict is very limited in Japan. Even the mass media know very little about them, I think. Religious groups and NGOs in Japan are not very prominent in promoting peace, although they tried to do so. It is, in my opinion, partly because Japanese did not develop meaningful subcultures of own. (academic staff) ©In former Soviet Union there were a lot of "good news" in media as well (the problem is that such news are not that interesting, or, let's say, there is not that many news which could be called "really good." (student from Ukraine). (D NGOs are weak in my country in all respects, (student from Russia).

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EXPLORATORY SURVEY ON ASIAN MEDIA AND A CULTURE OF PEACE

1. Introduction The Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) is preparing a tracer report on the role of Asian media in facilitating a culture of peace. This report will be partly based on a survey of respondents drawn from media persons, advocates of peace, representatives of religious groups and NGOs The aim of the exploratory survey is to determine perceptions of selected respondents in seven countries (India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines and Sri Lanka) regarding the role and performance of media in promoting a culture of peace. You have been identified as a respondent whose views and opinions are important for this project. We will therefore be very grateful if you could take a few minutes of your time in filling out this questionnaire and returning it to the researcher in your country.

I. Personal Particulars Name: Occupation: Designation. Institution:

2. Professional and Societal Affiliation

(a) Are you a member of or affiliated to any professional organization (e.g. journalists' union, academic association, etc)? If so, kindly elaborate.

(b) Are you a member of or affiliated to any societal organization (e.g. religious group, social organization, NGO, etc)? If so, kindly elaborate

3. Opinions on Performance of Media, Religious and Societal Groups and NGOs

Given below are some statements. Please indicate by circling whether you strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree. You can comment on your stance in the space below.

1, News is basically negative in nature. Strongly Agree/agree/Disagree/Strongly disagree 2 Mass media in my country give prominence to events such as conflict between nations, wars, inter-ethnic strife and misunderstandings. Strongly Agree/Agree/Disagree/Strongly Disagree 3 Reporting about religions in my country is often biased, imbalanced and subjective. Strongly Agree/Agree/Disagree/Strongly Disagree 4 Religious and societal groups and NGOs in my country have performed well in promoting peace, understanding and tolerance? Strongly Agree/Agree/Disagree/strongly disagree 5. Religious and societal groups and NGOs have established good relations with the mass media in my country. Strongly Agree/Agree/Disagree/Strongly Disagree 6 All parties concerned have to work much more closely to promote a culture of peace Strongly Agree/Agree/Disagree/Strongly Disagree

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