The Image of Japan in the Soviet Press (1956–1973)

The formation of public opinion about international events and foreign countries is significantly shaped by the periodical press. Thus, an examination of press propaganda is of particular importance for the study of international politics. The present thesis explores the image of Japan created by the Soviet press in 1956-1973. The analysis focuses on two aspects: the image of Japan as it was created and transmitted by popular Soviet journals and magazines (popular-scientific, satirical and literary) on the one hand, and the reflection of visits of the Japanese prime-ministers Hatoyama and Tanaka to the USSR in daily political newspapers on the other. The study will answer the following questions: How much attention did the Soviet press pay to Japan? What images of Japan was the press trying to create, and did these images differ in the two different types of media? How did the post-war Soviet image relate to Russian and Soviet conceptions of Japan developed in previous periods?