From terrorism to crime: Framing the assassination of Abe Shinzo in Japanese media

Abstract

Drawing on framing theory and prior studies on terrorism coverage, this study examines how major Japanese national newspapers framed the assassination of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in July 2022. Using quantitative content analysis of four national newspapers (Yomiuri, Sankei, Asahi and Mainichi), the study identifies an initial ‘terrorism frame’, which was later replaced by a dominant ‘crime frame’. Even during the terrorism frame phase, media reports tended to frame the attack as a threat to democracy or the national election, rather than as an act targeting Abe personally. The Japanese perpetrator was frequently humanized and rarely portrayed as a future threat, contrasting with international journalistic norms that emphasize the communicative function of terrorism, and caution against amplifying perpetrators’ messages. These findings suggest that Japanese media may lack consistent frameworks and editorial guidelines for terrorism coverage, raising questions about vulnerability to narrative manipulation by attackers.