National Nov 24, 2017
Newsweek causes stir by reporting 'Japan wants war' with North Korea
by Daisuke Kikuchi
Misreporting an opinion poll, a Newsweek story claims "Japan wants war with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, not dialogue."
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Sep 9, 2017
Severe school anxiety puts teens at risk
by Philip Brasor
For the past two weeks there have been projections about a spike in juvenile suicides as the new school term approached. Suicides among junior high and high school students rise around Sept. 1, and teachers and parents were urged to pay close attention to ...
TV | CHANNEL SURF Mar 24, 2016
'Stranger'; 'The World's Most Astonishing News'; CM of the week: Rohto
by Philip Brasor
The TV Asahi drama special "Stranger" (Sun., 9 p.m.) is based loosely on "The Poe Family," the award-winning 1970s girl's comic by Moto Hagio, which is about vampires. "Stranger" takes the form of a modern-day serial-killer mystery. Two murders are discovered simultaneously in Tokyo. Both ...
National / Media | FOCUS Jan 26, 2016
Self-censorship sensed as Japan's TV stations replace outspoken anchors
The faces of Japan's TV news are changing. Broadcasters are under increasing political pressure from the government and a succession of outspoken anchors and newscasters have resigned. Experts worry the situation marks a crisis in TV journalism, for it is believed broadcasters are now exercising self-censorship ...
National Dec 25, 2015
TV Asahi Corp. said Thursday that Ichiro Furutachi, who has been the face of the network's signature news show since April 2004, will step down from the anchor post next spring at his request. The 61-year-old news presenter told the network he would like to ...
National / Crime & Legal Dec 15, 2015
Relative of murdered family says TV Asahi program misrepresented her
A relative of a Tokyo family that was murdered in 2000 has filed a complaint with the nation's TV watchdog, claiming a TV Asahi program on the unsolved case misrepresented her. An Irie, elder sister of Yasuko Miyazawa, 41, one of the four people murdered, ...
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Dec 5, 2015
Push for balance can lead to a skewed view
by Philip Brasor
In September, public broadcaster NHK aired a documentary that recounted the news events from the capital this summer. One of the segments focused on the continuing protests led by college students in central Tokyo against the controversial security bills the ruling Liberal Democratic Party had ...
National Nov 25, 2015
TV Asahi punishes two officials after girl falls unconscious from inhaling helium on show
TV Asahi has punished its employees who were responsible for a television show in January in which a teenage female member of an idol group fell unconscious after inhaling helium. The Oct. 26 punishments, which include reprimands, were slapped against two company officials overseeing the ...
National Apr 29, 2015
TV Asahi punishes execs over ex-bureaucrat's anti-Abe outburst
An ex-bureaucrat’s unscripted criticism of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on TV Asahi’s popular “Hodo Station” news program was “inappropriate” because it caused confusion among viewers, the broadcaster’s president says.
National Apr 28, 2015
NHK investigation finds 'excessive staging' but no fraud in documentary program
The Liberal Democratic Party has questioned NHK executives about the program, a move critics condemned as an example of political pressure being applied to the public broadcaster.
Editorials Apr 22, 2015
TV broadcasters should not cower in the face of the LDP's pressure and interference in their activities.
National / Politics Apr 17, 2015
LDP grills TV executives but denies use of pressure tactics
by Reiji Yoshida and Masaaki Kameda
A Liberal Democratic Party panel conducts a closed-door meeting with NHK and TV Asahi executives to demand “explanations” about their troubles, raising suspicions of state intimidation.