This work was presented at the annual meetings of the International Association of Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), in Barcelona, Spain, in July, 2002.

The presentation was in a panel on "Gender and Japanese Culture", part of the section on Gender and Communication.

At the heart of this presentation is the following question: "What is the current state of male and female relations in Japanese television commercials?"

For reasons to be discussed next the emphasis is not on any relations, rather intimate relations

Intimacy here is defined both physically and emotionally

1. Importance in terms of Media Studies:

Although there continues to be dispute in about sources and extent of media's impact, it would appear that those sources which are constant, continuous and relatively uniform in their content have a greater chance to influence perceptions and behavior

Thus is it that television advertising can serve as a potential potent source of influence

Due to the fact that:

Commercial television is present in virtually every home in Japan, viewed by virtually all societal members

Its messages, while quite varied, have continually been shown to be relatively uniform, with regard to certain subject areas

These include:

• consumption

• political values

• national identity

• cultural practices

• gender

2. Importance in terms of Gender Studies:

In my past work I have shown via systematic qualitative content analysis that each of these hold true for Japan, America and Malaysia

Particularly with regard to gender

Japanese ads advance "genderisms" relative to:

• social role,

• status,

• occupation,

• family relations,

• perceptions of "male" and "female", and relative capacity

Evidence from others suggests that this is likely the case in countries as diverse as South Korea, India, France and Britain

In short, the "Gender Effect"is present in advertising:

• across countries,

• as well as within any one country,

• within and between gender groups

Which brings us to the purpose of this current research

3. Importance in terms of Japanese Studies:

Japanese ads, like the culture in which they circulate, have historically relied on circumspection between humans

• Especially as between men and women

"Feeling" is a deep seated cultural value, stemming from matters of social organization

• reflective of rank,

• limitations in physical space, and

• the public nature of everyday life

For these reasons changes in the way feelings are expressed in advertising is significant

• either as a reflection of changes in social organization, values or behavior, or

• as a possible motor to assist or influence such change

Working inductively with a sample of Japanese ads, however, suggests that feeling no longer operates like this

• though it did as little as a decade ago

It is these findings that we consider in this current study

Understanding these findings, as well as the specific study that worked to confirm these emerging continuities is next on the agenda

In general, though, we can state that the results are revealing about the current state of Japanese social organization and culture -- at least with regard to:

• gender,

• as mediated through television advertising

As such, this research holds potential significance for three areas of scholarship: Gender, Media and Japanese Studies.