Introduction to Special Issue: Language, Nationalism, Love, and Gender Roles in the Japanese Morning TV Drama Massan

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Acknowledgments

Without the help of multiple individuals, this special issue would not have been possible. First of all, I would like to thank Rika Ito, who gave me the idea of putting together this issue back in 2015, and Cindi SturtzSreetharan, who helped extensively with editing of some of the contributions. I am grateful to Momoko Nakamura as well for serving as a discussant at the International Pragmatics Conference in Belfast in 2017, where some of the contributors to this issue presented their work. My appreciation also goes to our Area Editor, Nerida Jarkey, and the external reviewers for carefully reading the manuscripts and giving us invaluable suggestions. Last, but not least, I would like to express sincere gratitude to my fellow collaborators for contributing their fascinating and important work and showing their support throughout the process.

Notes

¹ I use the adjective ‘non-Japanese’ for a lack of better alternatives, with the awareness that in real life Japanese-ness and non-Japanese-ness represent fluid categories (see Sugimoto, 2014).

² It is notable that Charlotte Kay Fox was unknown to audiences in Japan and not well known in the US either. Her lack of fame contributed to an authentic portrayal of the character she played – an ordinary woman (at least prior to moving to Japan). Both of these factors (her lack of fame and the character being an ordinary woman) are part of a long tradition of asadora (see Makita, 1976).

³ Yi Yŏn-suk’s name is transliterated as Lee Yeounsuk in the English version.

⁴ For example, Kitahara and Pak (2014) note that haigai demo ‘exclusion demonstrations’ in which participants shout abuse at Koreans have occurred in Tokyo and Osaka since around 2011.