Hate speech and the Japanese publishing industry

• Applicant: Professorin Ayaka Loeschke, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Asian Studies ; Communication Sciences
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 562304766

The phenomenon of “hate speech” has become a central research topic not only in the social sciences in general but also in Japanese studies, particularly since the rise of far-right demonstrations in Japan in 2013. A primary focus of research has been on the actors involved in spreading hate speech, especially far-right activists. The regulation of hate speech in Japan has also attracted international interest, particularly after the introduction of the Hate Speech Law and the subsequent decline of such demonstrations. A Japanese approach to regulating hate speech, based on typical methods of social control, has been proposed. This approach emphasizes that activities considered harmful to social harmony are regulated more through informal means than through direct prohibitions. However, whether this approach is applicable to the genre of so-called “hate books” has not been investigated. Since the 1990s, these books have promoted racism and generated numerous bestsellers, yet they have been largely neglected in academic research. Insiders from the Japanese publishing industry have held editors and associations responsible for the spread of hate speech through “hate books.” However, this responsibility has not been thoroughly discussed, either publicly or academically, despite the genre experiencing a second boom since 2017. Further recent events, such as the abrupt retraction of a discriminatory book by the major publishing house KADOKAWA in December 2023, suggest that self-regulation in the private sector could play an increasingly important role. These examples raise the question of whether “soft social control,” through state and private self-regulation, could be an effective strategy for dealing with “hate books.” The research project addresses the following questions: 1. Which structural factors within the publishing industry, and which backgrounds of insiders, particularly editors, have enabled and promoted the approval of publication projects for “hate books”? 2. What positions have editors and interest groups taken regarding the rise of “hate books”? How have they evaluated the two tasks of publishing—entertainment and knowledge transfer—compared to potential economic gains and their ethical responsibilities? 3. Have “hate books” been regulated or self-regulated? If so, does this regulation resemble the approach to far-right demonstrations, which is based on Japan’s “softer” method of social control? This project promises to make a significant contribution to the debate on the regulation of hate speech and the investigation of the actors involved in promoting its dissemination.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Japan
• Cooperation Partners: Professor Dr. Naoto Higuchi; Professorin Yuko Kawai, Ph.D.; Professor Kohei Kurahashi, Ph.D.