The deputy managing editor of the daily Mainichi Shimbun was shocked when he found out that a Justice Ministry panel had been holding discussions on the premise that the media is an enemy of human rights.
During his previous post as chief city news editor, Yutaka Asahina handled a number of investigative reports about people whose voices had gone unheard, including victims of HIV-contaminated blood products and mentally disabled workers who were repeatedly abused by employers.
He added that he had been proud of what he had done. "But what I saw in the panel report was the media sitting in the defendant's seat along with (other human rights offenders) like stalkers, wife-beaters and child-abusers," he said.