Africa in the East Asian Media: A Comparison of Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean Newspapers

Abstract

Issues associated with the African continent have been rising on the foreign policy agendas of China, Japan, and South Korea in recent decades. Considering that a policy agenda may influence the news concerning foreign affairs issues, questions arise on how the media in these three countries responds to developments in Africa and whether these countries are aware of each other’s foreign affairs agenda when covering Africa. This study investigates patterns in news coverage on Africa in China, Japan, and South Korea, and attempts to reveal these countries’ awareness of each other. It examines reporting on Africa from 2015 to 2017 in three newspapers: the People’s Daily, the Yomiuri Shimbun, and the Chosun Ilbo. The analysis clarifies the similarities and differences in the approach that these three countries adopt in their coverage of Africa and elucidates country-specific power dynamics in media from a global perspective.