---

This book analyzed the messages Japanese TV commercials with Western Hollywood celebrities contained from three methodological perspectives: content analysis, interviews, and semiology. Content analysis shows Western culture´s high penetration into Japan. Semiological analysis reveals the significance of Western celebrities in Japanese TV commercials. The interview analysis indicates that the main reason for utilizing Western celebrities in Japanese TV commercials is to differentiate products and companies from others. One aspect of this study is a critical look at the double-standard whereby A-List actors in the United States appear in commercials in Japan but not in the USA. The double-standard is about two different cultural definitions of what is an artist and the artist´s role in industrial commercial culture. A final issue explored in this study is the fact that no Japanese celebrities appear in US commercials which underscores the cultural domination of the United States as compared with Japan globally. These differences may reflect the admiration the Japanese have for American culture; ultimately, however, such differences indicate America´s power.

---

Dr. Michiko Yamada earned her MA and PhD in communication from the University of Oklahoma. She is currently an assistant Professor in Communication Department at Meredith College, Raleigh, North Carolina.

---