The watchdog role of journalists in Japan is on trial in several cases with enormous implications for freedom of the press here
In a summer laden with portentous anniversaries, several important skirmishes between journalists and the people they keep tabs on passed by almost unnoticed.
In July, Toshiyasu Matsuoka , president of the Rokusaisha publishing company, was arrested on a defamation charge that has editors across the country nervously consulting their rolodexes for libel lawyers.