The "Night Street" Beatings and Media Sins - Social Background in July 2020

The "Night Street" Beatings and Media Sins - Social Background in July 2020

In July 2020, as the state of emergency was lifted and people sought "new lifestyles," the number of infected people began to rise again. The media searched daily for factors contributing to the spread of the infection and turned their attention to the "nightlife districts. Although the infection was actually confirmed in entertainment districts throughout Japan, most of the reports focused on Kabukicho in Shinjuku as a symbol, and images repeatedly showed neon lights and host club billboards. In this way, the short-circuited composition of "nightlife district = Kabukicho" took root in society.

Behind this was the structural problem that the media attracts attention by stimulating viewers' fears and anxieties. Even though the risk of infection in daytime offices and homes was well present, they were difficult to visualize, and the flashy and easily recognizable downtown area at night was made the scapegoat. As a result, the Internet was rife with radical voices such as "close down Kabukicho" and "stop the water business," which reinforced discrimination and prejudice against those who actually work there.

Against this historical background, there was a psychological need to gain peace of mind by attributing the social unrest that had swelled due to the Corona disaster to "someone else's responsibility. At the same time, for politics, the "nightlife district" measure was a symbolic measure that could easily gain the support of public opinion, and it is undeniable that the interests of the press and the government coincided. However, the cost was imposed on the people working in the field, and the media's "choice of images" played a role in fixing prejudice.

Thus, Kabukicho in the summer of 2020 was portrayed as the "epicenter of infection" more than it actually was, symbolizing the sin of fear-mongering reporting and the fragility of society.