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campaign speeches and public accep ance
in con empo a y japan
Shoji Azuma
Uni e si y o U ah
Resumen: És e es un es udio de los discu sos de campaña de dos polí icos japo-
neses du an e las elecciones del House o Councilo s (Cáma a Baja) en el e-
ano de 2010. Aunque el lenguaje “de la in o mación” (“ epo - alk”) u ilizado
en asun os de es ado aún lo u ilizan polí icos expe imen ados, un nue o es ilo
de “ appo - alk” (lenguaje “de la a inidad”) ha su gido en la escena polí ica ja-
ponesa. Es e es ilo que iene como inalidad en a iza las emociones y la empa-
ía ha sido acep ado con en usiasmo po el ciudadano japonés. Es o sugie e que
el discu so polí ico japonés es á en un pe iodo de ansición.
Palab as cla e: discu so, empa ía, japonés, lenguaje de la in o mación, lenguaje
de la a inidad.
Abs ac : This is a s udy o campaign speeches be ween wo Japanese poli icians
du ing he House o Councilo s (i.e., Lowe House) elec ion in he summe o
2010. Al hough he adi ional “ epo - alk” on policies and issues is s ill em-
b aced by expe ienced poli icians, a new s yle o “ appo - alk” has eme ged in
he Japanese poli ical scene. This s yle o emphasizing emo ion and empa hy
has been accep ed wi h en husiasm by Japanese people. This sugges s ha he
Japanese poli ical discou se sys em is in a ansi ional pe iod.
Keywo ds: discou se, empa hy, Japanese, epo - alk, appo - alk.
1. in Roduc ion
One o he mos aluable asse s o a poli ician is his/he abili y o use lan-
guage in o de o gain he suppo o o e s. We ha e seen how U.S. P esi-
den Obama deli e ed he o ically elabo a e, highly inspi a ional and e ec i e
speeches du ing he p esiden ial campaign. The a o speaking is c i ical o a
candida e like Obama, who had i ually no name ecogni ion o poli ical ca-
ee o win he elec ion o him. As Shea and Bu on (2006) poin ou , he es-
sence o poli ics is “ alk” o human in e ac ions h ough language.
Howe e , he Japanese poli ical a ena has no , his o ically, e lec ed his iew
o poli ics. This is because Japanese socie y is assumed o be a “high con ex ”
38 Shoji Azuma
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(Hall 1959, 1976) socie y in which o e e bal s a egies a e less alued han in
Wes e n, low-con ex coun e pa s. In a high con ex socie y, he linguis ic u -
e ance i sel ca ies li le in o ma ion abou wha he speake in ends o com-
munica e. Reischaue (1977: 136), who se ed as he US ambassado o Japan,
s a es ha “The Japanese ha e a genuine mis us o e bal skills, hinking ha
hese end o show supe iciali y in con as o inne , less a icula e eelings ha
a e communica ed by innuendo o by non e bal means”.
How, hen, ha e Japanese poli icians s i ed o secu e o e s’ suppo i o e
e bal communica ions a e no pa icula ly app ecia ed by he public? An ex-
amina ion o Japanese poli ics seems o sugges ha , in gene al, poli icians ha e
eso ed o he s a egy o di ec ing o e s’ a en ion o he ma e ialis ic bene i s
hey may ecei e (Takase 2005). Many adi ional poli icians ha e elied hea ily
on he s a egy o dis ibu ing weal h o hei cons i uen s in exchange o sup-
po and o es. P ime Minis e Kakuei Tanaka (1918-1993), o example, was
well-known o his kinken seiji (‘money poli ics’), he poli ical s a egy o o e -
ing in as uc u e p ojec s (e.g., b idges, dams, and highways) and in some cases,
e en cash, o one’s cons i uen s.
Howe e , his s a egy o dis ibu ing weal h is no longe a ailable o o-
day’s leade s, simply because he e is no weal h o dis ibu e due o he slug-
gish economy. In ac , many poli icians now s uggle wi h he se ious p oblem
o how o dis ibu e de ici s o disad an ages o he public while s ill ecei ing
as many o es as possible. Unable o eso o isible ma e ial bene i s, hey ha e
no choice bu o use he pe suasi e powe o language o gain suppo . Howe e ,
his is a g ea challenge o many seasoned poli icians who a e no accus omed
o using language o con ince o e s. E en i hey become skilled in o e e bal
communica ion, he Japanese o e s may no accep such a s a egy, gi en ha
hey ha e “a genuine mis us o e bal skills”.
S udies o Japanese poli ical discou se and communica ion a e, hus a , un-
de - ep esen ed. Howe e , se e al s udies sugges ha he Japanese poli icians
a e in ansi ion o a mo e o e use o e bal skills han be o e (e.g., Takase
2005). Addi ionally, a diach onic s udy o sen ence inal exp essions in pa lia-
men a y he o ic sugges s ha a discou se s yle o “solida i y” (B own & Gil-
man 1960) has been ac i ely employed by poli icians in o de o secu e o e s’
accep ance (Azuma 2007).
In his pape , we will examine wo poli icians who seem o ep esen wo
con as i e discou se s a egies; one which uses o e he o ical skills and one
which does no . In pa icula , we will conside how he wo poli icians used he -
o ic in campaign speeches gi en in suppo o candida es in he 2010 elec ion.
2. wo Poli iciAns
The wo poli icians o be examined a e Sadakazu Tanigaki (1945-) and Shin-
ji o Koizumi (1981-). They a e in s iking con as o each o he in almos e e y
Campaign speeches and public accep ance in con empo a y Japan 39
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single way excep ha hey a e bo h membe s o he same poli ical pa y, he
Libe al Democ a ic Pa y (LDP).
Tanigaki is cu en ly he p esiden o he LDP, which was he pa y in powe
o mo e han hal a cen u y in pos -wa Japan un il i was de ea ed by he op-
posing Democ a ic Pa y o Japan (DPJ) in he 2009 gene al elec ion. Tanigaki
is 65 yea old, an expe ienced poli ician se ing his en h e m as a membe o
he House o Rep esen a i es. When he LDP was in powe , he se ed as Min-
is e o Finance (2003-2006) as well as Minis e o Cons uc ion and T anspo -
a ion (2008), among o he go e nmen al and o icial pa y posi ions. He is only
he second LDP leade in his o y who has no simul aneously held he o ice o
P ime Minis e o Japan.
Koizumi is 29 yea s old (almos a gene a ion younge han Tanigaki) and he
younges membe o he House o Rep esen i es i s elec ed in 2009. O he
han he ac ha he is he second son o o me P ime Minis e Junichi o Koi-
zumi, he has no no able poli icical expe ience, and he was i ually unkown o
he people un il e y ecen ly. As such, Tanigaki and Koizumi a e in sha p con-
as in e ms o age, expe ience, and poli ical ca ee .
In e ms o public accep ance, he wo poli icians a e equally di e en . In
he hie achical socie y o Japan whe e senio i y ca ies g ea weigh , i is Tani-
gaki bu no Koizumi who is expec ed o ecei e espec , us and suppo om
o e s. Howe e , qui e con a y o his expec a ion, Koizumi has ben he one
gaining popula i y. Fo example, du ing he 2010 elec ion campaign, Tanigaki’s
speeches a ac ed ela i ely small, unexci ed audiences ( anging om app ox-
ima ely 50 o 300 people), despi e his posi ion as p esiden o he LDP. I ap-
pea ed ha many o hem a ended he speeches simply o see wha Tanigaki
looks like a he han o lis en o his speech. Once hey ecognized Tanigaki’s
ace, some o hem ook pic u es o him and le he si e o he speech be o e
he’d inished speaking.
On he o he hand, Koizumi’s 2010 campaign speeches d ew huge c owds
whe e e he wen , anging om app oxima ely 300 o 3000 people. The audi-
ences we e exci ed, go wild, and always ga e Koizumi an en husias ic welcome.
Many o he audience membe s beha ed as i hey we e in he p esence o a pop
s a (Shuukan Bunshun, July 22, 2010). In a coun y whose poli icians lack s a
appeal, such magne ism ma e s.
A e he elec ion, Sankei, one o he majo na ional TV-newspape ne -
wo ks, conduc ed a na ional poll in which hey asked people who would be
mo e desi able as he nex P ime Minis e (Sankei, July 20, 2010). Acco ding
o he poll, 3.2 % o hose who we e polled chose Koizumi. Koizumi’s po ion
o he o es may seem ela i ely small, bu i is e y unusual o a i s yea Die
membe o be chosen a all in such a poll. Inciden ally, Tanigaki was named by
only 2.9% o o e s, which is smalle han Koizumi’s sha e. Fu he mo e, ac-
co ding o Mainichi newspape (Augus 22, 2010), some LDP Die membe s
40 Shoji Azuma
ISSN 1132-0265 Philologia Hispalensis 26/1-2 (2012) 37-57
ha e p oposed ha Koizumi be chosen as he new Sec e a y Gene al o he
pa y.
I is impo an o ask why he expe ienced Tanigaki does no a ac o e s
as much as he unexpe ienced Koizumi does. Why is i Koizumi, and no Tan-
igaki, whose speeches won he en husias ic applause and chee s om bo h men
and women o a ious age g oups?
I Tanigaki is ep esen a i e o old- ashioned, adi ional poli icians, we may
say ha Koizumi is esp esen a i e o a new and upcoming kind o Japanese
poli ician. In wha ollows, we will examine hei espec i e he o ical s yles in
poli ical campaign speeches. Be o e going in o he examina ion, howe e , a ew
wo ds abou poli ical campaigning in Japan a e in o de .
3. soAPbox sPeecH
Poli ical campaigning in Japan is clea ly di e en om he U.S and o he
coun ies, whe e he e a e e y ew es ic ions. Fo example, he Public O ices
Elec ion Law p ohibi s candida es and suppo e s om can assing doo - o-
doo du ing he campaign pe iod, which is usually 12 days long. This sup-
posedly p e en s o e-buying o b ibe y. In e ne campaigning is p ohibi ed.
Main aining a web-si e o blog is banned.
Candida es and suppo e s ha e essen ially h ee ways o make di ec con-
ac wi h o e s. One way is o gi e soapbox speeches wi h loudspeake s in a -
eas wi h high pedes ian a ic, such as ou side a ain s a ion o some o he
la ge public enue. The second way is o gi e agmen ed speeches, s anding on
s ee co ne s o hail passe sby ea ly in he mo ning o ea ly e ening, du ing
peak commu e imes. This speech is usually conduc ed wi hou loudspeake s,
and he speake does no ecei e close a en ion because he supposed “audi-
ence” a ely s ops o lis en o he speech. The inal way is o ply he s ee s o
an elec o al dis ic in clea ly iden i ied campaign ca s bla ing speeches. An
uguisu-joo (‘nigh ingale lady’: emale announce wi h a lo ely oice) calls a can-
dida e’s name epea edly om he ca , bu one can ha dly hea e en a agmen
o a speech as he ca passes by. These campaign speeches a e pe mi ed only be-
ween 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., and he candida e mus display a special lag dis ib-
u ed by he Elec ion Adminis a ion Commission.
Among hese me hods, he soapbox speech is he only occasion o a speake
o gi e a ull speech wi h ela i ely undi ided a en ion om he audience. Fo
his eason, we will ocus on he soapbox speeches in his pape . These speeches
we e gi en by Tanigaki and Koizumi, in suppo o LDP candida es, in on o
he majo e minals in me opoli an a eas (Tokyo and Osaka) as well as on he
s ee cu b in ela i ely small ci ies in u al a eas (Fukui and Kumamo o) in June
and July o 2010. Each speech was ape- eco ded by he au ho , who ook ield
no es anging om audience eac ions (e.g., applause) o he size o he c owd.
Le us i s examine Tanigaki’s speech deli e ed on June 26, 2010 in Osaka.
Campaign speeches and public accep ance in con empo a y Japan 41
ISSN 1132-0265 Philologia Hispalensis 26/1-2 (2012) 37-57
4. AnigAKi
4.1 F aming
Sociologis Go man (e.g., 1974) in oduced he e m “ ame” by which we
unde s and a con e sa ion. The ame is much like a pic u e ame, which p o-
ides con ex o he images in he pic u e and ell us how o in e p e wha is
said in a con e sa ion. Tannen (1990) poin s ou ha me a-messages o pieces
o in o ma ion abou he ela ions among he people in ol ed in a con e sa ion,
gi e ise o a ame, such as helping, ad ising, scolding, o cha ing. In his s udy
o poli ical discou se, Lako (e.g., 2008) s a es ha ames a e men al s uc u es
ha shape he way we see he wo ld. In o he wo ds, we unde s and wha is said
ia a ame. As such, a ame is a c ucial cons uc o a poli ician o communi-
ca e his posi i e image o he audience. How does Tanigaki ame himsel in his
speech? Le us examine his in oduc ion.
In on o Osaka S a ion e minal, Tanigaki, he p esiden o he LDP, be-
gins his speech as ollows.
(1)
Minasan, konnichiwa. adaima shookai o i adakimashi a Jiyuu Minshu oo soosai,
anigaki sadakazu desu. Kyoo wa aihen na ame no naka o wa ashi domo no u ae
ni mimi o ka amuke e i adakimashi e, koko o ka a o ei mooshiagemasu.
Hello, e e yone. I am Sadakazu Tanigaki, he p esiden o he Libe al Demo-
c a ic Pa y, who has jus now ecei ed he hono o in oduc ion. I would like
o exp ess since e g a i ude om he bo om o my hea o all o you o lis-
ening o wha we humbly wish o con ey in spi e o he e y hea y ain.
Tanigaki opens his speech wi h he e y o mal, i ualis ic wo ds o exp ess-
ing g a i ude, aming himsel as a high- anking, s ic poli ician. In pa icula ,
he second sen ence includes his i le and he ull name o he poli ical pa y. He
in oduces himsel as soosai (‘p esiden ’), e en hough he audience is ully awa e
o his o icial i le. Fu he mo e, as o he pa y name, Tanigaki does no use he
mo e common, sho ened o m Jimin oo. Ins ead, he uses he ull pa y name
Jiyuu Minshu oo. F om Tanigaki’s iew, s a ing his i le and he ull pa y name
may ein o ce his au ho i y and legi imacy. Howe e , om he audience’s iew,
all o hese may con ibu e o a sense o dis ance and powe . Tanigaki’s opening
ema k did no b ing any no iceable applause o exci emen om he c owd. In
ac , hey looked g im.
In e ms o i s syn ac ic s uc u e, he second sen ence is a compound sen-
ence, wi h he embedded clause o shookai o i adakimashi a (‘who has jus now
ecei ed he hono o in oduc ion’). Tanigaki’s use o he e y poli e o m o he
e b o his embedded clause is pa icula ly in e es ing when we conside he
le el o o mali y i communica es. Japanese sen ences ca y he le el o poli e-
ness and o mali y used o he inal e b o m o he main clause, a he han

42 Shoji Azuma
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ha o he embedded clause. Gene ally, he e b o m o he embedded clause
does no ca y such in o ma ion. The expec ed, unma ked o m o he embed-
ded e b is he plain, neu al o m i adai a. Ins ead, Tanigaki chose o use he
o mal, poli e o m o i adakimashi a. This usage o he poli e o m in he em-
bedded clause can be iewed as a case o hype -co ec ion, which is he use o
a nons anda d o m (i.e., i adakimashi a) wi h he belie ha i is mo e o mal
(and e en mo e co ec ) han he co esponding s anda d o m (i.e., i adai a).
The ex a o mali y and he poli eness ha e he e ec o aming he speake as
a igid, adi ional, o mal poli ician.
Ha ing es ablished his ame, Tanigaki con inues his speech wi h he ol-
lowing ema ks.
(2)
o o oi ka a hajima imashi a sanin senkyo, u a su, u asu no imi ga a imasu. Hi-
o su wa kono, jyukkage su kan no Minshyu oo seiken no seiji o minasan ni
shikka i o seisekihyoo o suke e i adaku ko o. Ko ega daiichi desu.
Moo hi o su wa wa ashi domo Jiyuu Minshu oo, sakunen no ha chiga su sanjuu-
nichi, minasan ka a aihen oshika i o uke e ya oo ni na imashi a. Jimin oo ga moo
ikkai, minasan no goshin ai o i adake u oo nina oo, kono jukkage sukan, naka de
gi on o kasane, zenkoku su su u au a de kokumin no minasan no goiken o ukagai-
mashi e, moo ikkai uma ekawa e, cha enjaa ni na unda o kooiu, sonoko o o mina-
san ni gohyooka i adaku no ga niban me no imi de gozaimasu.
Rega ding he Lowe House elec ion which s a ed he day be o e yes e day,
he e a e wo, wo meanings o be ound in i . One o hem is o le e e yone
g ade he pe o mance o he Democ a ic Pa y o Japan (DPJ)-led go e n-
men o he las 10 mon hs. This is he i s meaning. The second meaning is
(as ollows). We he LDP became he non-go e nmen pa y wi h ep imand
on Augus 30 h las yea . We ha e wo ked o become a us wo hy pa y and a
challenge one mo e ime h ough a ious discussions and by lis ening o you
opinions du ing he las en mon hs. To le e e yone g ade ou e o s is he
second meaning o his elec ion.
No ice ha he embedded e b o m hajima imashi a (‘s a ed’) in he i s
sen ence is he o mal poli e o m, which is again an example o hype -co ec-
ion. In addi ion, Tanigaki uses he p onominal p e ix o go (‘ espec ul’) as in
goshin ai (‘ espec ul conside a ion’) and goiken (‘ espec ul opinion’) o make
he u e ances ex a o mal and poli e. Tanigaki con inues o p ojec himsel as
a igid, adi ional, and conse a i e poli ician.
In Augus o 2009, he LDP los he gene al elec ion, which ended mo e han
hal a cen u y o almos unin e up ed ule by he LDP. I was called “blood-
less e olu ion” by he media, and he Democ a ic Pa y o Japan (DPJ) o med
a new go e nmen . Howe e , he DPJ-led go e nmen has had di icul y ca y-
ing ou campaign pledges (e.g., eloca ion o he U.S. Ma ine Co ps Ai S a ion
Campaign speeches and public accep ance in con empo a y Japan 43
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Fu enma in Okinawa p e ec u e). Wi h his poli ical de elopmen in mind,
Tanigaki claims ha he meanings o he elec ion his ime a e o he o e s o
e alua e he pe o mances o he DPJ go e nmen and also hose o his pa y,
he LDP. I is ce ainly ue ha an elec ion is an occasion o he public o ex-
p ess hei judgmen o poli ical pa ies and hei pe o mances. In his sense,
hen, Tanigaki’s s a emen con ains no new in o ma ion and lacks any appeal-
ing one. He deli e s his speech like a eache lec u ing o s uden s in an old-
ashioned, o mal manne abou some hing hey al eady know.
Wi h he opening ema ks o his speech, Tanigaki has es ablished himsel
as a adi ional and se ious poli ician. Howe e , he has also shown he audi-
ence ha he is ye ano he bo ing poli ician wi h no cha isma. Th ough his o -
mal speaking s yle, he ein o ces he adi ional poli ician- o e s ela ionship,
in which a poli ician uni-di ec ionally gi es a lec u e and o e s a e expec ed o
lis en passi ely. Tanigaki’s in oduc ion c ea es a adi ional poli ician- o e s o
eache -s uden s ame om he onse , and once his ame is se , i becomes
he one o his en i e speech.
4.2 Repo - alk
A e making a a he o mal, non-appealing s a , Tanigaki jumps in o a
c i icism o he pe o mance o he DPJ go e nmen , b ie ly men ioning a i-
ous poli ical issues one by one. He lis s indi idual issues wi h no cohesi e, con-
s uc i e, o posi i e message, and his commen s ake he o m o c i icism o
he sake o c i icism. The ollowing s a emen s ep esen some o Tanigaki’s
many c i icisms o he DPJ.
(3)
Fu enma no mondai ni shi emo kono aida okinawa dee ni , Kan san wa soo i da-
ijin o shi e hajime e okinawa ni ika emashi a. shikashi, mondai o kaike su su u
ameno a a ashii eian, eian wa nani mo a imasendeshi a.
In addi ion, conce ning he p oblems wi h Fu enma, P ime Minis e Kan is-
i ed Okinawa o he i s ime on he occasion o Okinawa Memo ial Day.
Howe e , he e was no new p oposal om him.
The DPJ-led go e nmen ’s p omise ha Fu enma ai ield would be eloca ed
“a leas ou side he Okinawa p e ec u e” was no ul illed and he issue was
pushed back o squa e one. He e, Tanigaki c i icizes he inabili y o he DPJ
go e nmen o keep hei p omise. He a gues ha P ime Minis e Kan was un-
able o p opose any subs an ial plan ha would be ag eeable o all ele an pa -
ies, including local go e nmen s and he US.
In he s udy o “gende lec ” o speech s yle di e ences be ween men and
women, Tannen (e.g., 1990, 1994) has obse ed ha he e is a endency o
men o emphasize in o ma ion o e ela ionship and o women o emphasize
44 Shoji Azuma
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ela ionship o e in o ma ion. She calls he in o ma ion-o ien ed alk “ epo -
alk” and he ela ionship-o ien ed alk “ appo - alk”. I we apply he dicho -
omy o epo - e sus appo - alk o speeches in poli ics, we may cha ac e ize
Tanigaki’s s yle as mos ly ha o epo - alk. He alks abou poli ical issues
(e.g., he a o emen ioned Fu enma ai ield eloca ion) a he han eelings,
emo ion and empa hy. Fo old- ashioned Japanese poli icians like Tanigaki, po-
li ical speeches should be all abou in o ma ion —issues, ac s, igu es— and
no hing else.
Tanigaki con inues o ead his lis o c i icisms a acking he DPJ. Obse e
he ollowing.
(4)
Ma a koo eeeki no mondai demo seiji shudoo o iu bimei no mo o ni, kikikan i de a u
ko o ga ikai dekinaka a.
Fu he mo e, as o he sp ead o oo -and-mou h disease (among li es ock),
he go e nmen ailed o unde s and he impo ance o c isis managemen
due o hei alse p ide in he “poli icians’ ini ia i e”.
The elen less sp ead o oo -and-mou h disease among li es ock se e ely
damaged he local economy o he sou he n p e ec u e o Miyazaki. I has been
poin ed ou ha he go e nmen was oo slow and ca eless in hei e o s o
p e en he disease om sp eading a he ini ial s age. Again, Tanigaki, c i i-
cizes he incompe ence o he DPJ go e nmen , who claims o ha e leshed ou
a mechanism o aking he policy de elopmen ini ia i e ou o he hands o
bu eauc a s and gi ing i o he poli icians. Acco ding o Tanigaki, he go e n-
men lacks a sense o e ec i e c isis managemen . F om he e, his c i icism goes
on, issue by issue. In o he wo ds, he con inues his epo - alk.
(5)
shikashi nani yo i mo ikizuma a ko o wa sakunen no mani esu o nan desu. Ko-
domo ea e, koosoku doo o yookin no mu yoo ka, a uiwa, nooka no kobe su hoshoo,
i onna ko o o yakusoku shimashi a.
Howe e , he e y hing which came o a deadlock mo e han any hing else
is las yea ’s campaign p omises. Va ious p omises we e made such as go e n-
men al paymen o child allowances, making highway olls ee, and go e n-
men compensa ion o each indi idual a me .
The DPJ campaign p omises we e indeed no kep in hei o iginal o ms.
The ee highway oll p omise, o example, has no been ul illed in i s o iginal
ull scale. Ins ead, a educed ee sys em, e ec i e only on weekends, was ca ied
ou in he same manne as he LDP go e nmen ’s ee educ ion. Gi en ha Ja-
pan has he wo s ack eco d o hea y dependence on deb inancing among
he de eloped na ions, he go e nmen has no choice bu o wo k ou a way o
Campaign speeches and public accep ance in con empo a y Japan 45
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pu i sel on a pa h owa d iscal ehabili a ion. Howe e , acco ding o Tanigaki,
he DPJ go e nmen ecklessly spends money o lu e he public, allowing he
na ional deb o keep inc easing. Again, his is an example o epo - alk, one o
he main cha ac e is ics o Tanigaki’s speech.
Tanigaki p esen s himsel as a se ious businesslike man, as many o he adi-
ional poli icians do. Howe e , he does no hing bu lis issues one by one (i.e.,
epo - alk), c i icizing he DPJ, and o e ing no accessible isions o alues o
he audience o iden i y wi h and unde s and. Essen ially, Tanigaki is in e es ed
solely in p o iding ac s and issues. He ocuses only on epo - alk, gi ing no
conside a ion o he audience membe s’ g asp o he issues a hand. Obse e he
ollowing discussion o he na ional deb .
(6)
Ko oshi no yosan wa zeishuu sanjuu nana chooen, dake edomo shakkin wa yonjuu
yonchoo sanzen oku en. Zeishuu yo i mo shakkin no ooi yoo na yosan o kumaza u o
enaka a n desu.
This yea ’s budge consis s o a ax e enue o 37 illion yen (abou $400 bil-
lion) and a deb o 44.3 illion yen (abou $478.9 billion). (The go e nmen )
was o ced o o m a budge in which he deb a exceeded he e enue.
E en hough Tanigaki p o ides exac igu es in yen, i is di icul o he au-
dience (i.e., laymen in budge issues) o diges such la ge numbe s wi hou any
conc e e illus a ion. Rhe o ically, any me apho , simile o igu a i e exp ession
helps people o unde s and wha is said, bu Tanigaki a ely uses such he o ic.
The only me apho he o e s in his speech is he ollowing.
(7)
ima no Minshu oo no seiken ga konomama susunde ikeba, nihon ma u wa zashoo
shi, chinbo su su u ko o, sonna ni ooku a imasen. Mazu daiichi ni ima no Min-
shu oo no zaisei unei, keizai unei dewa nihon o gi isha ni shi e shimau no de wa
nai ka.
I he p esen DPJ go e nmen is allowed o con inue, he ship o Japan will
soon become s anded and sink. Fi s o all, he budge and economy manage-
men unde he DPJ go e nmen will u n Japan in o G eece.
Tanigaki compa es Japan o a ship which is abou o be s anded. Wi h his
me apho , he audience can isually imagine he cu en si ua ion o he de as-
a ed Japanese economy, e en hough he me apho is a cliché. Un o una ely,
Tanigaki does no go on o use any mo e igu a i e language. The sca ci y o
me apho lea es he audience wi h li le image y o wo k wi h, and his epo -
alk is ende ed ob use and ine ec i e.
52 Shoji Azuma
ISSN 1132-0265 Philologia Hispalensis 26/1-2 (2012) 37-57
(Ou goal) is no o build a coun y in which you mus depend on poli icians.
Ou s is no a poli ics o depending on you coun y. Le each one o us become
independen , help ou sel es, and wo k ha d o ou sel es.
Koizumi pushes his heme o in ol emen o e and o e again. He is no
like adi ional poli icians who p omise hings (some imes mo e han hey can
ac ually accomplish). Ra he han pain ing a osy pic u e o he audience, Koi-
zumi asks hem o wo k as ha d as hey can. Recall ha Tanigaki simply s a ed
ha he will wo k ha d o he people and did no ask o he audience’s pa ic-
ipa ion (aside om o ing o his pa y). Howe e , in Koizumi’s speech, people
a e asked o do hei pa . When people eel ha hei con ibu ion is expec ed
and alued, hey a e likely o eel a sense o accomplishmen and sa is ac ion be-
yond simply being se ed. This bi-di ec ional communica ion s eng hens Koi-
zumi’s bond wi h he audience.
5.4 issue e sus alue: deep s uc u e
Tanigaki’s July 26 speech is essen ially a epo - alk on a ious poli ical is-
sues, including he eloca ion o U.S. ai ield, wide-sp ead disease, go e nmen
pension, and he go e nmen budge . Each issue is p esen ed wi hou a cohe-
si e heme, o mo e undamen ally, wi hou any suppo ing alues o ideologies.
Lako (2008: 54) poin s ou he ine ec i eness o such epo - alk by using he
e m “issue silo”. He s a es ha “ alking in e ms o ac s and igu es and se ing
he in e es s o demog aphic g oups ends o lead o ‘issue silos’, he isola ion o
one issue om he o he ”. Koizumi a oids c ea ing hese “issue silos”, ocusing
ins ead on alues and e en his wo ld iew beyond he le el o supe icial poli i-
cal issues. Obse e he ollowing.
(21)
ima no wakai hi o achi no aida ni wa, hodohodo no do yoku de, hodohodo no shi-
awase ga sukame eba, so e de ii. soo iu omoi ga wakai hi o achi ni de e ki e i u.
shikashi, wa ashi wa ae e ii ai. so eja dame nan desu. wa ashi achi wa isshoo
kenmei ganba e, isshoo kenmei ha a ai e sono kekka, yu akana nihon o mezasoo
ja a imasenka.
Among young people, he ollowing idea p e ails: i is jus ine o ge mod-
e a e happiness h ough mode a e e o s. Howe e , I da e o say, ha is no
good. Le us wo k ha d, do ou bes , and as a esul , le us aim o c ea e an a -
luen Japan.
Koizumi’s speech is no a me e poli ical campaign speech. I goes beyond
ha . He is no a aid o make ce ain g oups o people unhappy. Ins ead o
pleasing e e yone (which is impossible) like many poli icians a emp o do,
Koizumi li e ally “da e[s] o say” wha he belie es o be igh . In e es ingly, he

Campaign speeches and public accep ance in con empo a y Japan 53
ISSN 1132-0265 Philologia Hispalensis 26/1-2 (2012) 37-57
uses an analogy o he Japanese Wo ld Cup eam o illus a e his poin o
hose in he audience who may no be in e es ed in poli ics.
(22)
ima no sakkaa nihon daihyoo o mi e kudasai. Hodohodo no do yoku o shi e, hodo-
hodo no kekka o nokosoo o omo emasu ka.
Please ake a look a he Wo ld Cup socce eam o Japan. Do you hink hey
plan o achie e mode a e esul s h ough mode a e e o s?
Koizumi poin s ou ha he socce eam eached hei le el o success by
making mo e han jus mode a e e o s, and he in i es he audience o ollow
in hei oo s eps. A e embedding his alues and mo ale iew in he analogy,
Koizumi e u ns o he subjec o poli ics.
(23)
wa ashi achi Jimin oo ga mezasu kuni zuku i. so e wa ki sui ko o kamo shi enai.
Minasan no kiki aku nai ko o kamo shi emasen. shikashi hodohodo no do yoku ja
dame nan desu. isshoo kenmei ganba imashoo yo. isshoo kenmei ha a akimashoo yo.
(applause)
Speaking o he coun y we, he LDP, a e ying o build, i may be di icul .
(I ) may no be wha you wan o hea . Howe e , mode a e e o s a e no good
enough. Le ’s wo k ha d. Le ’s do ou bes .
E en hough i may no sound swee o he ea s o he audience, he asks hem
o wo k ha d as well. He ies o emind us o he impo an e hics o ha d wo k,
which many in he audience may ha e o go en. The audience membe s eel
encou aged and empowe ed by his ema ks and gi e applause o hemsel es as
well as o Koizumi. When Koizumi’s speech eaches his poin , i is no longe
simply a poli ical campaign speech. I has been ans o med in o an emo ional,
spi i ual and mo al expe ience. I is a appo - alk ha a su passes Tanigaki’s
d y, supe icial epo - alk, uni ing people wi h a sha ed sense o na ional p ide
and sa is ac ion.
6. coMMeRciAls
In his age o mass-communica ion, TV comme cials ha e become inc eas-
ingly popula . They a e ai ed na ionwide and ins an ly each he la ge numbe o
o e s who wa ch TV a home. Fo he 2010 elec ion campaign, he LDP c e-
a ed wo TV comme cials, one ea u ing Tanigaki and one ea u ing Koizumi.
In e es ingly, e en in hose p epa ed comme cials, he sho speeches gi en by
he wo poli icians a e e y con as i e. Conside he sc ip o each 15 seconds
TV comme cials, ound below.
54 Shoji Azuma
ISSN 1132-0265 Philologia Hispalensis 26/1-2 (2012) 37-57
(24)
Tanigaki
wa akushi wa keizai no a enaoshi o, ku ashi no an ei o ana a no ko o o ichiban ni
kangaemasu. nippon ga ma a sekai de ichiban shiawase na kuni ni na u ameni
jikkoo shimasu. nippon no sei oo, Jimin oo.
I conside he op p io i ies o be ebuilding he economy, s abilizing li e, and
you. I will execu e (my plan) in o de o make Japan he happies coun-
y ( o li e in). LDP: he Japanese pa y.
(25)
Koizumi
Hodohodo no do yoku de wa hodohodo no shiawase mo sukamenai. isshoo kenmei
gannba e isshookennmei ha a ai e yu akana ichiban no kuni o suku imashoo. is-
sho ni ganba imasu. nippon no sei oo, Jimin oo.
Mode a e e o s canno b ing mode a e happiness. Le ’s wo k as ha d as we
can. Le ’s build an a luen , numbe one coun y. Toge he , we will do ou bes .
LDP: he Japanese pa y.
Tanigaki alks abou he o e s’ in e es s by p omising wha he will do o
hem. Again, he sounds like a ypical poli ician, elling e e yone wha he will
do o hem. Koizumi, on he o he hand, alks abou alue and encou ages pa -
icipa ion and in ol emen . He does no men ion g oup in e es s; ins ead, he
speaks o sha ed wo k e hics and happiness. In sho , Tanigaki deli e s a epo -
alk and Koizumi a appo - alk. Tanigaki pushes in e es s and Koizumi shows
empa hy o he o e s.
In e ms o syn ac ic s uc u es, Tanigaki’s comme cial con ains wo ela i ely
long sen ences while Koizumi’s comme cial i s h ee sen ences in he same
amoun o ime. Bo h sen ences in Tanigaki’s comme cial end wi h he o mal
poli e –masu o m. On he o he hand, Koizumi u ilizes a ious sen ence o ms.
He closes his i s sen ence wi h he in o mal plain o m ( sumakenai) and his
second wi h he in o mal in i ing o m mashoo (‘le ’s’). In he hi d sen ence, he
e u ns o he o mal poli e o m –masu. In o he wo ds, Tanigaki’s sen ences
a e all o mal and s a ic, lacking he a ie y ound in Koizumi’s speech.
These le els o o mali y a e cha ac e is ic o he wo poli icians, as we can
clea ly see by looking a he o ms o sen ence inal exp essions in hei cam-
paign speeches. The ollowing able shows he ela i e equency o he o mal
poli e –masu o m in he speeches o Tanigaki (June 26, 2010) and Koizumi
(June 29, 2010).
Campaign speeches and public accep ance in con empo a y Japan 55
ISSN 1132-0265 Philologia Hispalensis 26/1-2 (2012) 37-57
able 2. F equency o he o mal poli e –masu o m
No ice ha Tanigaki uses he o mal poli e -masu o m mo e han wice as
equen ly as Koizumi. Nea ly hal o Tanigaki’s sen ences end wi h he o mal
poli e o m, while Koizumi’s usage o –masu cons i u es less han 20% o his
speech.
I can be said, based on his abundance o poli e speech and o he ac-
o s no ed abo e, ha Tanigaki’s o mal, s a ic use o language con ines his
speeches o a e y adi ional, poli ician-like s yle. On he o he hand, Koizu-
mi’s language is less o mal and mo e dynamic, eaching ou o he audience
and hus allowing him o a oid speaking only o he “inne ci cle” o poli i-
cians.
7. iMPlicA ion
An impo an inding in sociolinguis ics is ha speake s do no use lan-
guage in he way hey do simply because o hei social iden i ies o because o
o he si ua ional ac o s. Fo example, Gumpe z (1982) a gues ha an indi id-
ual’s choice o speech s yle has symbolic alue and in e p e i e consequences
ha canno be explained simply by co ela ing he incidence o linguis ic a -
ian s wi h independen ly de e mined social o con ex ual ca ego ies. In o he
wo ds, speake s exploi he possibili y o linguis ic choices in o de o con ey
in en ional meaning o a socio-p agma ic na u e. Linguis ic choice is a dynamic
e en , and i is no longe seen as in luenced only by si ua ional ac o s. Sco on
(1983) ex ends his iew o linguis ic choice o he concep o nego ia ion be-
ween a speake and a hea e . Acco ding o he , he nego ia ion p inciple guides
speake s o “choose he o m o you con e sa ional con ibu ion such ha i
56 Shoji Azuma
ISSN 1132-0265 Philologia Hispalensis 26/1-2 (2012) 37-57
symbolizes he se o igh s and obliga ions which you wish o be in o ce be-
ween speake and add essee o he cu en exchange” (Sco on 1983: 116).
The Japanese con ex poses an in e es ing challenge o his iew o language
use as a dynamic in e pe sonal nego ia ion. This is because a speake o Japa-
nese is likely o be con ined o he a he s a ic use o language in acco dance
wi h socially p esc ibed no ms such as wakimae (‘disce nmen ’) a he han he
speake ’s oli ion (e.g., Ide 1989).
The p esen s udy examined he campaign speeches o wo poli icians as a
case s udy. One o he indings is ha he iew o language as a dynamic in e -
pe sonal nego ia ion is alid e en in he supposedly conse a i e Japanese poli -
ical discou se sys em. Mo e speci ically, Koizumi, who deli e ed a appo - alk
using a s a egy o in ol emen , gained much mo e app o al om he o e s
han Tanigaki, who deli e ed a epo - alk and con ined himsel o a language
o wakimae. I can be said ha a Wes e n s yle o speech based on he concep o
solida i y (B own and Gilman 1960), which encou ages equal and a ec i e e-
la ionships be ween speake s and lis ene s, is ising o accep ance in Japan. The
inding om he 2010 elec ion campaign sugges s a shi om s a ic epo - alk
o mo e dynamic appo - alk as a desi able poli ical discou se in Japan.
e e ences
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