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oai:figshare.com:article/34032054 2026-10-01T08:19:58Z portal_403 item_type_8 month_year_10_2026

Citizen Journalism in Japan: Constructing Citizenship in the Online Public Sphere Keiko Nagamine (25143696) Citizen Journalism thesis Japanese Media System Political Communication Social Media Activism Public Prosecutors' Office Law Democracy and Media Critical Discourse Analysis <p dir="ltr">This thesis explores citizen journalist discourse during Japan's 2020 hashtag movement opposing a proposed amendment to the Public Prosecutors' Office Law. Japan, an established democracy, has strong institutions but a highly constrained media system that limits journalistic independence. Although scholarship on citizen journalism has grown, it has mainly focused on Anglophone countries. Less attention has been paid to the democracies, including Japan, where highly institutionalized structures and entrenched media systems, such as the press club system, restrict alternative democratic voices.</p><p dir="ltr">This thesis examines how citizen journalists' discourse compares with that of mainstream media in an institutionalized democracy, using a combination of inductive frame analysis and critical discourse analysis to analyze Twitter posts (currently known as 'X') and newspaper coverage across three distinct time periods.</p><p dir="ltr">Findings from my research show that citizen journalists used a 'Democracy in Crisis' frame by questioning preexisting highly institutionalized norms. Mainstream media exhibited ideologically divided responses: a liberal outlet initially supported citizen journalism but shifted its stance after the government withdrew a bill. In contrast, a conservative outlet maintained an establishment-oriented discourse throughout. This illustrates how institutional structures absorb external influences without change. Japanese linguistic features also shaped interpretations of political events.</p><p dir="ltr">This study makes three main contributions. First, it enhances understanding of how citizen journalism operates in established democracies through the lens of path dependence theory. Second, it develops methods for analyzing citizen journalism in which language influences political meaning, benefiting both methodological and theoretical applications. Third, it advocates for de-Westernization by demonstrating that citizen journalism in institutionalized democracies can exert limited yet meaningful influence without restructuring existing institutional frameworks.</p> 2026-10-01T08:19:58Z Text Thesis 10.25392/leicester.data.34032054.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Citizen_Journalism_in_Japan_Constructing_Citizenship_in_the_Online_Public_Sphere/34032054 All Rights Reserved