The Warrior Image in Modern Japanese Media and its Implications for Social and Political thought within Japan

Abstract

A society's media reveals many important aspects of the cultures underlying beliefs and ideologies. There has been a lot of research regarding Western media and the lessons that can be learned about western culture as a result. Research in the field of modern Japanese media has been largely ignored, especially in the West. The purpose of this project is to analyze modern Japanese media, specifically anime and manga, for their portrayal of the warrior image. It will address the lessons that can be learned about Japanese political and social thought through the shifting image of the warrior.