Japan Chair Platform: The Backwardness of Japanese Political Journalism

Nonestablished Ethics and Unwritten Rules

Last fall there was an unexpected political development in Japan that revealed as much about the state of political journalism as domestic politics. Opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa, president of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), suddenly met with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to discuss a “grand coalition” with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).1 The idea was quickly rejected within the DPJ, but it was rumored that Tsuneo Watanabe, chairman and editor in chief of Yomiuri Shimbun, mediated between the two leaders.Watanabe is considered one of Japan’s most distinguished political writers with more than a half century of experience, but his intervention was an obvious breach of journalism ethics given his failure to remain unbiased.2 Cozy relationships between journalists and politicians, while not unique to Japan, have a long history, and the public has come to accept such practices as routine. However, a failure to reform journalism ethics and standards could have a negative impact on Japan’s global reputation. According to the “Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2007” published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a media watchdog nongovernmental organization (NGO), Japan ranks 37th behind countries like Macedonia (36), Bosnia-Herzegovina (34), Trinidad and Tobago (19), and Latvia (12).3 This low ranking speaks to the underdevelopment of journalism in Japan and is at odds with Japan’s supposed role as a democratic leader.

Nobuyuki Okumura