A comparative corpus-based news values analysis of Philippine, South Korean, Singapore and Chinese media reactions to Japan’s nuclear wastewater release

This study aims to explore the different social responses of Japan’s neighboring stakeholder countries, including the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, and China, toward its nuclear wastewater discharge. Moreover, this study aims to reveal the geopolitical powers that dominate the positions and attitudes of these countries by systematically comparing the news reporting methods in their mainstream media. Adopting a corpus linguistic technique and a discursive news value analysis approach, this study examines news values through sentiment scoring, keywords, nomination strategies, and news photographs in news coverage. The results show that China was the only country that took an explicitly and strongly antagonistic position against Japan’s nuclear wastewater discharge, whereas the other three neighboring stakeholder countries displayed neutral or even supportive positions. China’s opposing position was dominated by the diplomatic concept of building a maritime community with a shared future, while the neutral and supportive positions of the Philippines, South Korea, and Singapore embodied the politics of U.S. allies. This study helps readers understand Japan’s nuclear wastewater release event from a global and sociological perspective; specifically, this issue was not just a marine environmental concern or a bilateral dispute involving Japan but was also shaped by broader geopolitical dynamics, encompassing the diplomatic strategies, domestic politics, and economic interests of various countries and powers. The corpus-based news value analysis approach utilized in this study provides a new and effective methodology for scholars who are interested in analyzing international marine disputes and cross-cultural marine policies from a sociological and data-based perspective.