National / Media | MEDIA MIX Jun 13, 2020
Prosecutor gambling scandal lifts veil on press access in Japan
by Philip Brasor
Will the incident prompt any major media outlet to change its ways when socializing with sources?
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Mar 28, 2020
Winning the media battle against COVID-19
by Philip Brasor
On March 12, the Sankei Shimbun ran an editorial urging the media to refrain from criticizing the government for its handling of the coronavirus emergency. The Sankei Shimbun was elaborating on a complaint made by former TV announcer Yoshiko Sakurai that the press was ...
National Aug 30, 2018
Tokyo protests Beijing's exclusion of Sankei Shimbun reporter from covering diplomatic meeting
by Tomohiro Osaki
The ban runs counter to Japan’s support for “basic human rights, including freedom of expression, and the rule of law,” the government’s top spokesman said.
National Jun 29, 2018
The Chinese Embassy in Japan protested to a Japanese newspaper Thursday for running a story that it said advocates Taiwanese independence, a move that Taiwan's Foreign Ministry rapped as "totally unacceptable." Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrew Lee called China's protest to the Sankei Shimbun, as reported ...
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Apr 7, 2018
In Japan no one wants to talk about sex education
by Philip Brasor
The English "penis" — which rhymes with "Venice" in katakana — is the preferred technical term when discussing male genitalia in Japan, but even that seems to be taboo in broadcast situations.
National / Media Feb 8, 2018
Sankei Shimbun retracts unverified story of rescue by U.S. Marine in Okinawa
The Sankei Shimbun has retracted a story it published last year about a U.S. Marine saving a person involved in a car crash in Okinawa, saying in its Thursday edition that it could not confirm that the events took place. The national daily apologized to ...
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Nov 18, 2017
Ad money makes the news world go round
by Philip Brasor
In a Nov. 8 press release, the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center announced that Katsuya Takasu, the most famous plastic surgeon in Japan, was no longer a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS). Previously, the center had been urging the AACS ...
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Sep 23, 2017
Political protest or textbook harassment?
by Philip Brasor
In 1979, The New Yorker ran a very long article by Frances FitzGerald about American history textbooks and how they had changed over the years. She said that the framing of history depends on who is writing it and, more importantly, who is supporting ...
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Mar 25, 2017
How the word 'terrorism' can help pass a bill
by Philip Brasor
During the recent Diet grilling over his alleged involvement in the Moritomo Gakuen land purchase scandal, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe accused his opposition party tormentors of resorting to inshō sōsa. The most accurate English translation is probably "image manipulation," which, in the age of ...
Issues | JUST BE CAUSE Jan 3, 2016
Battles over history, the media and the message scar 2015
by Debito Arudou
A rundown of the top 10 human rights issues of the past year as they affected non-Japanese residents.
National / Crime & Legal Dec 17, 2015
Sankei journalist Tatsuya Kato acquitted of defaming South Korean leader
The Seoul Central District Court cleared Kato in a case that raised new questions about media freedom.
National / Crime & Legal Oct 20, 2015
South Korean prosecutors seek 18 months in jail for Sankei Shimbun journalist
Prosecutors on Monday sought an 18-month prison term for a Japanese journalist on charges of defaming President Park Geun-hye in an article he wrote in August 2014. Tatsuya Kato, a 49-year-old former Seoul bureau chief for the Sankei Shimbun newspaper, is on trial at the ...