The editors of two Okinawa newspapers on Thursday said freedom of the press and even democracy itself may be at stake after recent verbal attacks on their work and on that of other media by Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers.
"Seeing these remarks, I can't help but worry that this nation will abandon democracy and inch closer toward a totalitarian state," said Yoshikazu Shiohira, editor in chief of the Ryukyu Shimpo.
At a June 25 gathering of around 40 junior Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers close to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, guest speaker Naoki Hyakuta, a novelist and former NHK governor, reportedly said local newspapers in Okinawa that are critical of the government should be closed.