A Comparative Study of Japan and China Regarding the Use of Frame Theory in Media Research : Toward the Development of Risk Communication

Frame research, which has fl ourished since the 1980s, has been hailed as a new paradigm for studying the relationship between the media, public opinion formation, and social movements. This paper focuses on the use of frame theory in media research for two reasons. On the one hand, there is a need to rethink frame theory in the current situation of the rapid development of information technology. On the other hand, the possibility of new developments in frame theory can be seen from the progress of risk communication. In addition, this paper compares the situation of the use of frame theory in media studies in Japan and China. In Japan, research on risk communication and awareness formation has increased rapidly since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in 2011. In China, the rapid development of internet space, especially the activation of social media, has further complicated the structure that affects risk communication and perception, so new developments in frame theory are expected. As a result, in both Japan and China, the frame is used as a tool to analyze the social structure of reality or the process of structuring. In theoretical research, various themes have been examined, and a number of analyses have been made, but without reference to the characteristics of East Asian society, and without resulting in developments of the theory itself. In empirical research, the two countries have different emphases on frame production, content, and effect. From the broader perspective of communication studies, when examining framing effects, the two countries have different focuses on their relationship with public opinion or with personal cognition. Through the above analyses, frame theory has been widely used in such fi elds as media studies, cognitive psychology, and political communication studies, with many research results in each fi eld, but there still remain such issues, as the integration of frames in different fi elds. From the perspective of globalization, there exists a tendency toward intercultural communication; and the format of information exchange has been renewed with the advent of we-media, so the current framework of frame production, content, and effect has to be reconsidered. At the same time, risk communication has a natural relationship with framing behavior, so the new signifi cance of frame theory is expected to be realized through empirical research on risk communication.