Failures in Leadership

Abstract

This paper examines how Japanese leading politicians deal with the communicative problems posed to them during broadcast political interviews. Based on data gathered during 14-month period in 2012–2013, the paper replicates and modifies the “Theory of Equivocation” to explore the extent to which national and local level politicians endeavor to affect the content of information distributed to the public and to influence the way people perceive events that take place in the public domain. Differentiating among selected groups of politicians, i.e., ruling and opposition parties’ members, Cabinet ministers and prime ministers, and local level politicians, the paper focuses on the ways Japanese politicians (and for comparison also nonpoliticians) equivocate during televised programs and the conditions underlying this equivocation, thereby also assesses the significance of these talk shows in the broader context of political communication in Japan.

Ignoring Respect: The Effects of Threat to Face on Replies and the Ensuing Questions During Broadcast Political Interviews in Japan

“…As in our earlier studies (e.g., Feldman et al, 2017), the data also suggest that conflictual questions, those that create pressure toward equivocation in the responses, are intrinsically more face threatening than nonconflictual questions. Nonconflictual questions were typically more open-ended (categorized as prefaced questions ), allowing the interviewees the opportunity to construct their replies according to their convenience.…”

“…Bull and his associates (Bull, Elliott, Palmer, & Walker, 1996) and later Feldman and his colleagues (Feldman et al, 2015, 2016; Feldman, Kinoshita, & Bull, 2017) provided remarkable support for this notion: Equivocation by politicians was closely associated with the proportion of conflictual questions posed in broadcast interviews. Conflictual questions therefore create strong pressure toward equivocation in the responses.…”

How the mighty are fallen: Evaluating Abe Shinzō's leadership capital in crisis

“…7. See also Ofer Feldman's extensive work on political language in Japan (Feldman and De Landtsheer, 1998), and equivocation (Feldman et al, 2017). 8.…”