Japan Today says it will retain foreign perspective despite acquisition by conglomerate Fuji Media

by

Staff Writer

Japan Today, a popular news website bought by a Fuji Media Holdings group company last month, will stick to its motto of presenting news “through the perspectives of foreigners” despite the change in ownership, the media conglomerate says.

Fuji TV-Lab, a subsidiary of Fuji Media Holdings, Inc., announced April 7 that it had acquired GPlus Media Co., which runs several English-language websites, including Japan Today and classifieds ads site GaijinPot.

GPM, founded in 2001 by two expat entrepreneurs, is now headed by Tadashi Tokizawa, president and CEO of Fuji TV-Lab, a website production company under the Fuji Media group. GPM’s founders will stay on as directors, an FMH spokeswoman said in an email to The Japan Times.

“GPM will enhance its reporting ability and its entertainment information by joining the FMH,” the spokeswoman said. “The firm also will seek tie-ups with other companies under the FMH media conglomerate. . . . The (GPM) founders Peter Wilson and Erik Gain will continue to provide comprehensive advice from the perspectives of foreign entrepreneurs.”

In the month since the acquisition by the Fuji group, which has the Fuji Television Network under its wing and the conservative daily Sankei Shimbun as an affiliate, no drastic change has been observed on the Japan Today website, which provides a wide variety of news on Japan in English mostly via foreign wire services and in-house articles citing vernacular media.

Since late March, articles citing Fuji TV and Sankei — mostly about crime and other social news — seem to have become more conspicuous, though the site still uses other news sources.

The Sankei Shimbun is known for its often hawkish take on politics. In February, it drew fire when it ran an Op-Ed piece by conservative writer Ayako Sono, who called for immigrants of different ethnic groups to live in separate places — a statement widely taken as endorsing racial segregation.

Fuji TV, meanwhile, has been somewhat neutral in its editorial stance, with its strengths lying in entertainment and cultural content.

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  • Liars N. Fools

    I hope to make Shimomura Hakubun’s enemies of Japan list since I believe in looking squarely at history. This includes Japanese, Koreans, Chinese, and Americans — all have some deniers among them.

  • zer0_0zor0

    Conservative Japanese media outlet buys English language media company?

  • Japanese Bull Fighter

    Foreigners in Japan are predominantly Chinese nationals (PRC and ROC) followed by ROK nationals not born in Japan. I’ve never seen any indication that Japan Today reflects their perspective.

    • midnightbrewer

      So opinions only count when they’re presented by the majority? That’s like saying that you endorse the bad way of doing things so long as you’re the one calling the shots.

      It’s fantastic for the foreign minority in Japan (who don’t speak Chinese) to have their own voice. That’s a sign of a healthy society.

      • Japanese Bull Fighter

        In other words the only “foreigners” who count in Japan are the Anglophone ones targeted by Japan Today? Sounds a bit racist to me.

        “So opinions only count when they’re presented by the majority?”

        That’s the way electoral system works in the US and the UK and for the non-proportional seats in the Japanese Diet. The party or the individual with the most votes gets the office or control. Similarly, with votes in Parliament, Congress, or the Diet, laws are generally passed on the basis of getting a majority.

        Some question this. Many European countries have proportional representation systems but the majority princple is also well established.

        I have no problem with Japan Today aiming only at only a very small fraction of all foreigners in Japan (less than one-tenth of the total) but they should be honest about what they are doing and not claiming they reflect foreign opinion at large.

      • Steve Jackman

        It should be clear to anyone with basic English reading and comprehension skills that the “foreigners” referred to in the news article means “English-speaking foreigners”, since Japan Today is an English language Website.

        The Chinese and Koreans in Japan are not “English-speaking”, so your comment is nonsensical and pointless. It amazes me that you claim to be an “academic” and “teacher” in Japan, but seem to have difficulty understanding news articles written in basic English.

      • Japanese Bull Fighter

        I understand basic English and I understand the implications of “foreigners” in this specific context. But, I am also against racism everywhere and particularly in Japan.

        There is a very strong tendency in Japanese society to use “foreigners” to mean Europeans (including Americans) and to award them special treatmen and attention. Teaching kids in schools about “foreigners” often equates to giving them contact with Europeans. Television programs about “foreign” tourists in Japan heavily feature European tourists when in fact most “foreign” tourists in Japan come from Asian countries. Television programs that feature “foreign tarento” heavily favor Europeans although by something like a 10 to 1 ratio the foreign nationals in Japan are Asian.

        If you fall into the tiny fraction of foreign nationals in Japan who are European (including Americans), you may well be quite happy with this selective usage of “foreigners.” I’m not. I think the usage is racist and that the Japanese government and the Japanese people ought to give more attention to the fact that this country is physically in Asia and most of the foreigners in this country are other Asians.

      • Steve Jackman

        I think the examples you cite have more to do with the inferiority complex many Japanese have when it comes to fair-skinned Westerners.

      • Japanese Bull Fighter

        Putting one group on a pedestal and giving them preferential treatment and attention is just as much racism as putting another group down and ignoring them.

  • Toolonggone

    “Rich Media Poor Democracy” arrived in Japan? Oh wait. It sounds more like “Poor Media Perishing Democracy.”