Political Reality and Editorial Cartoons in Japan: How the National Dailies Illustrate the Japanese Prime Minister

Abstract

This report of a content analysis details how editorial cartoons in two Japanese national dailies illustrated six recent Japanese prime ministers during their first three months in office. The findings reveal the growing importance the media allocate to the national political leader as a source of political information and coverage. Nevertheless, the prime minister appears as a passive man who lacks leadership qualities, reflecting to a certain extent the weak position the prime minister has in Japanese politics.