Abstract: | Although there is an extensive research literature on the ideological uses of news particularly during times of war there has been little investigation of how media present news in support of their nations' position in international economic conflicts This study analyzes the newscasts of Radio Japan during a period of major trade disputes between Japan and the United States It identi fies the way in which a clear and serviceable image of an international trade rival can be constructed as a cumulative product over an extended period of newscasts |