Conflict management in Japanese public affairs talk shows

Although it is often suggested that Japanese discourse is cooperative and harmonious, conflict talk exists and should be examined closely. This study attempts to clarify the interactional structure of conflict talk in Japanese public affairs talk shows by examining conflict in three different talk shows. First, I describe the ways in which various kinds of conflicts are initiated and managed, and then examine how the form which conflict takes is correlated with the structural arrangement of the shows. The results indicate that although conflict management differs greatly, in all cases, it is shaped by two opposing processes: `conflict' and 'Facework' against conflict. The study also demonstrates that the forms of conflict management are strongly related to the participation structures of the shows. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.