Posts Tagged ‘sarah palin’

Japanese TV reports on Sarah Palin

In a Japan Probe post last month, I mentioned the Japanese media’s focus on Sarah Palin in the U.S. presidential race. Initial reports were mostly about her personality and her exotic background, but the Japanese media has since moved on to covering her lack of experience and the many gaffes she makes. Below is a sample of the media reaction to yesterday’s vice presidential debate.

—-
Clip 1: TBS

The clip starts by mentioning how Palin’s gaffes have been hurting the McCain campaign, and we are shown video of her displaying ignorance of Supreme Court rulings. We are then shown a photograph of Palin undergoing special pre-debate training, followed by a clip of the debate in which she is clearly relying on note cards for her answers.
—-
Clip 2: ATV

We are told that people are raising questions about Palin’s qualifications, and a clip of Fareed Zakaria slamming her lack of knowledge is shown. The report then becomes slightly comedic, introducing a Sarah Palin impersonator that describes how she imitates Palin’s gestures and facial expressions. This report also mentions Palin’s pre-debate training session, teaching viewers that the term “boot camp” isn’t just a word that Billy Blanks made up for his exercise videos. A few clips of the debate are shown, and comments are made about how Palin relied on prepared notes for most of her remarks.

After the segment, the news anchor discusses the post-debate polls with an expert. The expert uses the example of how Johnson was dramatically sworn in after JFK assassination to point out the importance of having a qualified vice president. He then expresses excitement over the possibility of having a first-ever black president or a first-ever female vice president.

—-
Clip 3: NTV

NTV started this piece by focusing on the kiss Palin blew to the audience at the beginning of the debate, as well as her greeting to Joe Biden. Just like the other reports, this one mentions her special training camp, referring to it as her “secret weapon” going into the debate. The report then summarizes some of Palin’s gaffes, such as her claim that she has foreign policy experience because her state is geographically close to Russia (NTV mocks this statement with big red question marks). Tina Fey’s impersonation of Palin is mentioned alongside a poll showing that 51% of Americans believe Palin lacks the qualifications to be president. People who watched the debate are interviewed for a reaction, and both Democrats and Republicans give negative reviews of Palin’s debate performance.
—-

Japan watches the US Presidential election

Almost all the news coverage in Japan about the US presidential election used to be about the drama in the Democratic Party, but Variety reports that Japanese viewers are now taking an interest in the drama surrounding John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate:

For the Japanese, Palin is the big story, and before Palin came along, it was Hillary Rodham Clinton.

“There was very big interest in the primary between Hillary and Barack Obama,” Sugita said. The hook was the breaking of barriers that the contest represented: Americans were going to nominate either the first African American or the first woman to the head of a major party ticket.

But it was Hillary who generated the most attention.

“When she was running, it provoked a very big debate in Japan about how far a woman can go, and it exposed a lot of hidden thoughts both in how men think of women and how women think of themselves,” Sugita said.

When Hillary dropped out, Japanese readers continued to follow Obama but were not much interested in McCain until he named Palin as his running mate, Sugita continued.

“She has a strong character and she is also very beautiful,” he said. “She is kind of a role model for Japanese women who pursue a career path and are also a mother and wife.”

Palin’s speech Wednesday night was “very much viewed” in Japan. Big issues in the election – the economy, the two wars, the healthcare system – “aren’t really understood or interesting to Japanese,” Sugita said. “But character issues are big interest because everyone can join in the debate.”

An example of Japanese reporting on Palin can be found in this NTV report, which sent staff to Alaska to check out Palin’s hometown and talk with residents:

The focus is on her lifestyle in Alaska and the political success she found as mayor of a small town and governor of the state. Her parents are briefly interviewed, providing some positive statements about their daughter. There is also an interview with a friend of Palin’s who claims that her experience in the Miss Wasilla pageant helped prepare her for public office. The report closes with the announcer making a brief mention of accusations that Palin may not have enough experience to serve as a good president, and that she will be fighting to prove otherwise.