The morning drama (renzoku terebi shōsetsu, or asadora for short) is both an everyday ritual and an institution of collective memory: since 1961, it has entertained Japanese television audiences by telling life stories of women against the backdrop of major events in modern Japanese history. This chapter examines how the asadora has changed in light of transformations in the Japanese television landscape over the past decade. Digitalization and the diversification of television programming have forced the public broadcaster NHK to find new ways to address its audience. The chapter presents two areas that NHK uses to highlight the social relevance of asadora: first, regional identity and “place branding,” especially in the context of post-3.11 revitalization efforts, and second, a “cosmetic diversity” that presents Japan as an open-minded nation through a rather superficial portrayal of minority groups.

Introduction

Even for those who do not like it, it is hard to avoid. In Japan, the morning drama (asadora) greets people from the walls of subway stations and is the subject of talk shows as well as of lively discussion on social media. The series, which has been running daily on the public broadcaster NHK since 1961, is one of the most successful programs on Japanese television, with ratings of around 20 percent. The social relevance of asadora increases through its constant paratextual framing; NHK and other media such as daily newspapers take part in this process by making it a topic of conversation in everyday life. For NHK, the asadora is an important pillar of its symbolic power (Scherer 2019), alongside the news and the taiga dorama (an annual year-long historical series), and it also opens up marketing potential for various stakeholders, e.g., in merchandise, music, fashion and tourism.

Because of its great social and economic importance, the asadora is often referred to as kokumin-teki dorama (national drama) (e.g., Hiyama 2015, 2). In fact, the morning drama has always been closely linked to the concept of the nation; the series tells life stories, mostly of women, against the backdrop of Japan’s development in modern times. The asadora is thus not only entertainment, but also an important institution of collective memory in Japan.