(Re)constructing Favorable International Images: A Corpus-based Discourse-historical Approach to Speeches Given by Japan’s PM at General Debates of UNGA (77th-78th Sessions)

In light of various controversial events, it has become imperative for Japan to enhance its favorable international image through political discourse. This study employs a Discourse-historical Approach to examine official portrayals of Japan’s international images in two speeches delivered by Prime Minister Kishida during the General Debates of the 77th and 78th sessions of United Nations General Assembly. The aim is to uncover how the Japanese government discursively (re)constructs these favorable images influenced by social-historical contexts. A corpus-based methodology is implemented, involving a comprehensive workflow: first, KH Coder is employed to identify prevalent hot-spot themes within the speeches; second, intertextual analysis is conducted to explore sub-topics that emerge under these common themes, further illuminating Japan’s overall international image. Additionally, transitivity analysis is carried out using the UAM Corpus Tool to incorporate experiential details for macro-level representations. The findings indicate that: (1) Japan is (re)presented as a responsible democratic nation committed to UN principles and actively safeguarding human rights; (2) it is also represented as an innocent and peace-loving country, highlighting anti-war inclination and dedicated efforts towards denuclearization. Nonetheless, a comparison between these (re)constructed narratives and actual policies reveals that nationalism and opportunism remain significant factors within Japanese society.