From Fairytale to Scandal: A Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis of Gendered Media Representations in Princess Mako’s Marriage

Abstract

This thesis examines how four Japanese weekly magazines (Josei Jishin, Shūkan Josei, Josei Seven, and Shūkan Bunshun) constructed gendered representations in the marriage controversy of Princess Mako and Kei Komuro between 2017 and 2025. This study uses the Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis method (FCDA) proposed by Lazar (2005) to analyze 64 articles, which are divided into four periods: the Fairytale period (May to December 2017), the Turning Point period (December 2017), the Attack period (January 2018 to October 2021) and the Aftermath period (November 2021 to 2025). The study examines the images of three social actors under three intertwined gender ideologies. Kayo Komuro is interpreted under the ideological framework of ryōsai kenbo (good wife, wise mother) and its related figure of kyōiku mama. The image of Kei Komuro is judged by the hegemonic masculinity model of the postwar salaryman, while Princess Ayako's husband, Kei Moriya, shows the ideal image of an imperial spouse, in stark contrast. The image of Princess Mako is interpreted through the expectation of imperial femininity, among which obedience, respectability and public duty above private desire constitute moral standards. Two main patterns emerged from the analysis. First of all, the same characteristic was given the opposite moral meaning at different times. Maternal sacrifice has become greed, deep affection has become emotional blindness, and the closeness between son and mother has become unhealthy dependence. The behavior itself remains basically unchanged in different periods, but the discourse framework has changed. This suggests that the magazines' judgment is made through gender ideology, and with the advancement of the narrative, familiar behavior is given a new meaning. Secondly, these three gender ideologies constitute an interrelated network of evaluation. The image of Kayo was used to weaken Kei's masculinity, Kei's economic difficulties were used to question Mako's judgment, and Mako's choice was used to criticize the motherhood of Crown Princess Kiko. Therefore, a marriage has been transformed into a broader field to reproduce the patriarchal gender order in contemporary Japan. This study contributes to FCDA research by applying the FCDA framework to a non-Western institutional context. It also reveals how Japanese weekly magazines participate in the symbolic policing of gender norms through long-term coverage of imperial daughters.