Abstract
The production methods and styles of TV documentaries are profoundly influenced by the predominant mindset in a given era in which these programs are produced and broadcast. The production styles of Nihon no sugao (Japan Unmasked) (1957-64), an TV documentary series aired on NHK, show a stark difference before and after the “1960 Anpo struggle” (protests against the Japan‐U.S. Security Treaty) that marked a major turning point in Japan’s post-war history. In the period from 1959 through 1960, when many people engaged in serious discussion on the ideal picture of society and state amid Japan’s proceeding high economic growth, Japan Unmasked produced numerous powerful episodes of reportage and investigative reports, such as by Kibyô no kageni [Behind a Strange Disease] (November 29th, 1959) and Rinji rôdôsha [Temporary Workers] (December 4th, 1960), which incisively explored the contradiction brought by the high economic growth. Nevertheless, as the Anpo struggle came to an end, with the economic growth continuing and the slogan “doubling incomes” becoming more and more realistic, people quickly lost their subjective interest in society and politics. A mood to embrace personal wealth and convenience brought by economic growth, forgetting about negative stories, was prevailing. Each episode of Japan Unmasked aired in fiscal 1961 increasingly inclined to an informational program that presents various aspects of society, which was being modernized by economic growth, from a conventional point of view, while broadly affirming the status quo.
