The Dispute over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands How Media Narratives Shape Public Opinion and Challenge the Global Order

The book examines the controversy between China and Japan over the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands. Although the islands are described in US media as unpopulated specks of land, in both China and Japan they are seen as vital parts of the motherland. Japan claims that it 'discovered' these unclaimed islands in the late 19th century and annexed them to Okinawa. Conversely, China says that these islands have been Chinese for centuries and that Japan seized them during its period of imperial expansion. The book dissects the historical narratives of the islands, investigating the ways in which these stories have shaped each nation's understanding of the dispute. It also investigates how both traditional and social media discussed the controversy. Chapter in the book analyze how governments used the media to reach domestic and international audiences, fueling public passions and escalating the risk of war.

Thomas A. Hollihan, PhD, is professor in the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California, USA. His previous books include: Uncivil Wars: Political Campaigns in a Media Age; Argument at Century's End: Reflecting on the Past and Envisioning the Future; and Arguments and Arguing: The Products and Process of Human Decision Making.

Table of Contents
1. Introduction; Thomas A. Hollihan
2. Configuring a Threatening Other: Historical Narratives in Chinese School Textbooks; Shubo Li
3. Historical Narratives in Japanese School Textbooks; Hiroku Okuda
4. Fanning the Flames of Public Rage: Coverage of Diaoyu Islands Dispute in Chinese Legacy Media; Zhan Zhang
5. Public Opinion on Weibo: The Case of the Diaoyu Islands Dispute; Miao Feng and Elaine J. Yuan
6. How the Japanese Legacy Media Covered the Senkaku Controversy; Takeshi Suzuki and Shusuke Murai
7. How the Japanese Social Media Users Discussed the Senakaku Controversy; Shusuke Murai and Takeshi Suzuki
8. U.S. Media Coverage of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Dispute; Thomas A. Hollihan
9. Media Diplomacy: Public Diplomacy in a New Global Media Environment; Patricia Riley
10. Conclusions; Thomas A. Hollihan