The magazine of The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of

March 2019 Vol. 51 No. 3 ¥400

4(other) auto-industry scandals

(and no arrests)

Rob Reiner AI in the newsroom Radio star The actor/director talks Displacing journalists Katherin Erdmann, Shock and Awe or saving news? broadcaster Vol. 51, Number 3 March 2019 contact the editors In this issue [email protected]

Publisher FCCJ THE FRONT PAGE Editor Gregory Starr Art Director Andrew Pothecary From the President by Peter Langan 4 www.itsumo-music.jp/design Editorial Assistant Naomichi Iwamura Freedom of the Press news: 5 Photo Coordinator Akiko Miyake Publications committee members Report on imprisoned journalists in 2018 Gavin Blair, Freelance (co-chair) Geoffrey Tudor, Orient Aviation (co-chair) by Elana Beiser Daniel Hurst, Freelance Sonja Blaschke, Freelance Albert Siegel, Freelance

FCCJ BOARD OF DIRECTORS FEATURES President Peter Langan, Freelance 1st Vice President Abigail Leonard, Freelance None behind bars 6 2nd Vice President Robert Whiting, Freelance Secretary Daniel Hurst, Freelance by Roger Schreffler Treasurer Willem Kortekaas, Associate Member Directors-at-Large Khaldon Azhari, PanOrient News Friend or foe: Artificial Intelligence in the newsroom 8 Daniel Sloan, Nissan Motor/Freelance THE FCCJ ONLINE: www.fccj.or.jp Mary Corbett, Professional Associate Member by Maria Teresa Ronderos Milton Isa, Associate Member Kanji Kazuo Abiko, Freelance Associate Kanji Makoto Honjo, Nabbing the newsmakers 12 Associate Member by Julian Ryall FCCJ COMMITTEE CHAIRS Associate Members Liaison Keiko Packard, Harumi Kumagai Compliance Kunio Hamada, Yoshio Murakami DeRoy Memorial Scholarship Abigail Leonard, PROFILE David Satterwhite Entertainment Sandra Mori Exhibition Bruce Osborn MEMBER EVENTS Katherin Erdmann 10 Film Karen Severns Finance Willem Kortekaas by David McNeill Food & Beverage Robert Kirschenbaum, Mehdi Bassiri Freedom of Press Abigail Leonard House & Property Peter Langan, David Satterwhite Human Resources Willem Kortekaas PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEOS Information Technology Albert Siegel CLUB CALENDAR Page 14: Director and actor Library, Archives & Workroom Rob Reiner speaks at the Club Koichi Ishiyama, Suvendrini Kakuchi Membership Andrew Horvat, Peter O’Connor Membership Marketing Abigail Leonard, Willem Kortekaas Professional Activities Tetsuo Jimbo, CLUB INFORMATION David McNeill Public Relations Rosa Argyropoulos Publications Gavin Blair, Geoff Tudor CLUB NEWS Special Projects Haruko Watanabe Truth, lies and 14 Foreign Press in Japan Robin Harding Shock and Awe SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS by Tim Hornyak The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan Marunouchi Nijubashi Building 5F Marunouchi 3-2-3 Chiyoda-ku 100-0005 Lens craft 14 Tel: (03) 3211-3161 Fax: (03) 3211-3168 fccj.or.jp by photographer Members Published by the FCCJ All opinions contained within Number 1 Shimbun are those of the authors. As such, these opinions do not constitute an official position In Memoriam: Life Member James P. Colligan 16 of Number 1 Shimbun, the editor or the Foreign No. 1 SHIMBUN ONLINE Correspondents’ Club of Japan. by Bradley Martin Please pitch and send articles and photographs, or address comments to [email protected] Read the Number 1 Shimbun online: FREEDOM OF THE PRESS INFO Exhibition: Kakejiku Art 18 fccj.or.jp/number-1-shimbun

New Members, New in the library 19 Cover photo: Phawat Khommai | Dreamstime.com

FCCJ MARCH 2019 3 The Front Page

FROM THE PRESIDENT FREEDOM OF THE PRESS NEWS Report on imprisoned journalists in 2018

By Elana Beiser of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has which CPJ is a partner. Furthermore, increasingly arrested journalists and over the past year and half, CPJ has DEAR FELLOW MEMBERS, If we don’t form a quorum on March 20, FRESH WAVES OF REPRESSION in , added them to existing mass trials. documented or assisted in the cases Egypt, and Saudi Arabia sustained the Even after trial, Egyptian authorities of at least seven foreign journalists Firstly, I have to beat the drum again we can’t pass the Budget; if we can’t pass global crackdown on press freedom go to transparently ridiculous lengths seeking asylum in the United States about the Club’s upcoming the Budget, we can’t run the Club. in 2018 for the third consecutive to keep critical journalists behind bars. because of work-related threats at GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING year. In its annual global survey, the Saudi Arabia – under intense home, who were held in prolonged ON MARCH 20 (WEDNESDAY), The choice is yours. Committee to Protect Journalists scrutiny for the murder of exiled, detention by U.S. Immigration and STARTING AT 6:30 P.M. found at least 251 journalists in jail in critical Washington Post columnist Customs Enforcement (ICE). If you are a Regular Member of the AT THE JANUARY BOARD MEETING, off a bunch of story directions at a relation to their work. Jamal Khashoggi in its Istanbul CPJ defines journalists as people FCCJ, please mark this date in your I invited the Publications Committee reporter’s desk and then walks away, The majority of those imprisoned consulate last October – stepped up who cover the news or comment on calendar. Even if you don’t plan to attend to give a presentation on the Number expecting all the work to be done in globally – 70 percent – are facing anti- its repression of journalists at home, public affairs in any media, including the meeting, we will still need Regular 1 Shimbun. For those unaware, we no their wake. I’m beginning to identify a state charges such as belonging to or Members to “show up,” so to speak. longer have advertising in the magazine similar phenomenon in the “drive-by aiding groups deemed by authorities The GMM is where Regular Members (long story) so it’s costing the Club FCCJ member.” as terrorist organizations. The number For the third consecutive year, every journalist vote to approve the Club’s Budget for around ¥600,000 a month to generate The FCCJ most certainly needs imprisoned on charges of false news imprisoned in Turkey is facing anti-state charges the year ahead, as well as deal with content, edit, design, publish, print and feedback from members, but if you rose to 28 globally, compared with nine many other resolutions required for distribute the magazine. In my view, have, say, comments about the food just two years ago. Egypt jailed the managing the FCCJ. it’s a mistake to view the magazine as or service, let us know about them. most journalists on false news charges with at least 16 journalists behind print, photographs, radio, television If you are a Regular Member and you just a cost, because it fulfils many other The General Manager and the F&B with 19, followed by Cameroon with bars on Dec. 1. The prisoners include and online – and includes only those don’t vote or send a proxy in the days tasks as a voice of the Club. Also, I Committee have provided comment four, Rwanda with three, and one each four female journalists who wrote journalists it has confirmed have been running up to the March 20 GMM, you cannot imagine a press club without a cards to fill in and hand to F&B staff in China and Morocco. about women’s rights in the kingdom, imprisoned in relation to their work. will get a phone call from the office publication, not least in these times, to or the front desk. This way we can The higher number of prisoners in including the ban on women driving The list is a snapshot of those or the front desk. In fact, you may get highlight attacks on freedom of speech compile comprehensive views from China – with 47 behind bars – reflects that was lifted in June. incarcerated at 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 1, more than one phone call, along with and the turbulence engulfing journalism, the members on how to improve the the latest wave of persecution of the Even as Turkish President Recep 2018. Journalists remain on the list reminder emails. as well as events happening within the menu and service, and give those Uighur ethnic minority in the Xinjiang Tayyip Erdoğan has been the fiercest until the organization determines with If you are a Regular Member and Club itself. (Not to mention that the suggestions back to the kitchen. region. At least 10 journalists in China critic of Saudi Arabia for the murder of reasonable certainty that they have have no interest in playing any part magazine has won a design award.) It’s also an opportunity for positive were detained without charge, all of Khashoggi, his government continued been released or have died in custody. in voting on Club resolutions at the So the Board and the Publications feedback. Another option for the them in Xinjiang, where the United to jail more journalists than any other The prison census accounts only for GMM, well the Board has been thinking Committee have been discussing ways drive-by-inclined is to join one of the Nations has accused of mass on the planet. CPJ found at least journalists in government custody about you, too. A group of Associate to fund the magazine’s operation. many committees staffed by volunteer surveillance and detention of up to a 68 journalists jailed for their work and does not include those who have and Regular Members is reviewing “Ideas” include introducing a ¥300 members that form the backbone of million people without trial. in Turkey, which is slightly lower disappeared or are held captive by the FCCJ Articles and Bylaws and monthly subscription fee for all the FCCJ. In the highest-profile example, than previous years. For the third non-state actors. one matter under consideration is members; switching to a digital-only Finally, I’m very happy to announce Lu Guang, a freelance photographer consecutive year, every journalist Other findings from CPJ’s prison creating Voting and Non-Voting publication to cut out printing and that the Board at the February meeting and U.S. resident whose work on imprisoned in Turkey is facing anti- census include: Regular Member categories. These two distribution costs (about ¥300,000 voted to grant Life Membership environmental and social issues in state charges. • Ninety-eight percent of jailed categories would grant all the same of the total); or moving to a quarterly to Sandra Mori. Sandra has been a China has won awards from the World Those on the periphery of the journalists are locals imprisoned by their privileges to current Regular Members, print magazine with more substantial member of the FCCJ for more than Press Photo Foundation and National journalistic profession are also own governments. except one category will have the content, also reducing print and 40 years, during which she has chaired Geographic, disappeared in Xinjiang vulnerable. CPJ’s list of jailed • 13 percent, or 33, of the jailed right to vote, the other won’t. It will distribution costs. I stress, these are the Entertainment Committee, in early November. Authorities later journalists does not include 13 staff journalists are female, up from 8 percent be an entirely optional choice, but ideas, though we will need to come up moderated many press conferences, confirmed his arrest to his family, from Gün Printing House, including its last year. its purpose is to reduce the number with some options for the GMM on the was instrumental in founding Saturday but have not disclosed his location or owner, a security guard, and several • Freelancers accounted for 30 of Regular Members needed for future course of the magazine. Night Live and served twice as a board reason for detaining him. machine operators, who were jailed. percent of jailed journalists, in line with establishing a quorum. member. Please join me in thanking and Their “crime” is evidently printing recent years. The irony of this is, to adopt such a ON ANOTHER TOPIC, THERE is a congratulating Sandra. MORE BROADLY, PRESIDENT XI Jinping Özgürlükçü Demokrasi, a pro-Kurdish • Politics is the riskiest beat, followed resolution, Regular Members who phenomenon in newsrooms around See you in the Club. has steadily increased his grip on daily paper that the government took by human rights. Those imprisoned for wish to be removed from voting on the world known as the “drive-by power since taking office in 2013; this over and eventually shut down. covering human rights including Wa Lone FCCJ matters will need to vote on this editor.” This is the individual who fires – Peter Langan year, authorities stepped up regulation and Kyaw Soe Oo, two Reuters reporters FCCJ matter . . . of technology that can bypass the IN THE UNITED STATES, where in Myanmar sentenced to seven years The drumbeat ends here (for now) country’s infamous firewall, issued journalists encountered hostile each for violating the Official Secrets but to all Regular Members I repeat If you have comments about the food or service, lists of “approved” news outlets, and rhetoric and fatal violence in 2018, Act because of their work uncovering again that if we don’t form a quorum let us know about them. The GM and the F&B disbarred lawyers who represent jailed no journalists were in jail on Dec. 1, military atrocities in Rakhine state. ❶ on March 20, we can’t pass the Budget; Committee have provided comment cards to fill in journalists, CPJ has found. although nine were arrested in the if we can’t pass the Budget, we can’t In Egypt, at least 25 journalists course of the year, according to Elana Beiser is editorial director of the run the Club. The choice is yours. and hand to F&B staff or the front desk. are in prison as the administration the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, of Committee to Protect Journalists.

4 MARCH 2019 FCCJ FCCJ MARCH 2019 5 Feature: The Auto Industry

light in April 2016, I asked him, partly as a conversation starter, None behind bars “Why do you still have a job?” A look back at four scandals that shook the Japanese auto industry – and their aftermath. Masuko revealed that it was because Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s former CEO and chairman who is being held without bail at the By Roger Schreffler Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to investi- Tokyo Detention House, made gate the handling and control characteristics of the Explorer. that a condition for Nissan to t was one of those make-or-break moments – Feb. 24, 2010 NHTSA reported back in February 2002 that the evidence was extend Mitsubishi a financial life- at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. inconclusive. A win for Ford? Yes and no. line. (Nissan would invest ¥237 I Akio Toyoda, just eight months into his presidency at First, Ford got lucky. More than half of accidents occurred billion to acquire a controlling 34 Toyota Motor Corp., sat before a congressional committee to in a handful of states in the southern region of the U.S. percent stake.) answer questions about fatalities from an accelerator pedal including the Southwest where daytime temperatures often The revelations that Mitsubi- malfunction in Toyota and Lexus cars sold in the U.S. He was average 40 degrees Celsius in August. Bridgestone/Firestone shi had inflated mileage-testing treated, frankly, like a criminal. claimed that the tires should have been inflated at 30 psi. The results came just as Masuko was

Dennis Kucinich, the congressman from Ohio with presi- owner’s manual said 26 psi was sufficient. They went back KAJIYAMA AP PHOTO/SHUJI A sorry sight preparing the next stage of the dential aspirations, confronted him about whether he know- and forth and back and forth – after the fact. Air-bag maker Takata Corp’s CEO Shigehisa Takada, automaker’s restructuring – ingly concealed design flaws which put people’s lives at risk. Second, Ford had a perfect scapegoat in Firestone, the for- center, Senior VP Hiroshi Shimizu, left, and CFO Yoichiro essentially, that it would be able to operate independently Since nearly 90 people had died, it couldn’t have been clearer mer Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., and may have overplayed Nomura, bow at the start of a press conference about the in an auto industry of goliaths like Toyota, Volkswagan and where Kucinich was heading with his questioning. its hand. Twelve years before the 1990 introduction of the company’s product defect and recall, June 2015. Renault-Nissan alliance. Kucinich wasn’t the only one to ask “gotcha” questions. I Explorer, which became the best-selling sport-utility vehicle In the second week of April 2016, just days before he was counted at least eight members of the congressional commit- in the U.S., Firestone was the subject of the largest recall shards and other materials into the passenger compartment.” preparing to announce record earnings in the automaker’s tee in charge who took aim at Toyoda, mostly, not surprising- in the auto industry’s history – 14.5 million tires – and was Takata’s automotive customers were forced to recall more then 99-year history, he was shown evidence that Mitsubi- ly, from states like Kucinich’s that didn’t have a Toyota plant. forced to pay a substantial fine, leaving the company finan- than 50 million airbag inflators in the U.S. alone. Those cus- shi’s engineering group had falsified fuel-economy testing Scion of the automotive family that bears his name, Toyoda cially weaker and eventually opening the door for Bridge­ tomers include a who’s who of the auto industry, from BMW data on more than 625,000 minicars sold in Japan, a majority had a lot on the line. Apart from his presidency – it is custom- stone to purchase its global operations for a then-record $2.6 and Mercedes in Europe to General Motors and Ford in the of which were sold as Nissans. ary in Japan for a CEO to take responsibility for a scandal by billion in 1988. Ford acted as if it was unaware that Bridge­ U.S. to Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Subaru in Japan. Note that 16 years earlier, in July 2000, Mitsubishi and its resigning – Toyota’s decades-old reputation for quality was stone (Tokyo) was calling the shots. The root of the problem was a management decision in truck-making subsidiary, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp., being questioned. And without becoming overly hyperbolic, This was all the more ironic considering that when Bridge­ the late 1990s to switch to ammonium nitrate as the pro- were caught covering up defects dating back to the 1990s, trig- “Japan Inc.” was on trial since Toyota was and is the most cel- stone incorporated in 1931, Firestone challenged its name, pellant for airbag inflators. The material, which was report- gering a police investigation, multiple recalls and eventually the ebrated corporation in Japan. accusing the Kurume-based company of trademark infringe- edly cheaper than many other propellants used by suppliers, arrest and conviction of several executives, all of whom received In the end, Toyota would pay a lot of money – more than $2 ment. Firestone lost its challenge because the name “Bridge- proved less stable. suspended sentences. A truck driver and pedestrian died. billion – to settle the multiple legal claims, including a crimi- stone” was not a Firestone rip-off but a transliteration and Particularly damning, the auto supplier’s engineering divi- The scandal was big news in Japan and the prelude to nal complaint by the U.S. Justice Department. inversion of the surname of its founder, Shojiro Ishibashi, or sion reportedly altered and concealed test results. Neither Masuko’s involvement with the company, first as a represen- Toyoda did all the right things in testifying before Con- “stone bridge”. did management respond with a sense of urgency. In one of tative director from Mitsubishi Corp., one of the automaker’s gress: he bowed his head, expressed regret and accepted Like Toyoda years later, Bridgestone/Firestone’s CEO Masa- his messages to shareholders, Takata president Shigehisa major shareholders, and then as president and CEO. responsibility, all customary in Japan. He did everything toshi Ono, the former head of Bridgestone’s Kurume plant, Takada, another scion, focused on “warranty reserves” and Masuko, who had spent 11 years restructuring Mitsubishi except blame Toyota suppliers, including CTS Corp. the one accepted a congressional invitation to express his “regrets.” “special losses” while not mentioning the victims. – bringing it back from the brink after DaimlerChrysler AG based near that used the wrong synthetic rubber for Like Toyoda, he delivered his formal statement in English When the end finally came, it came quickly. In February withdrew its investment in 2005 – had to start over, which the accelerator pedal. and responded to questions through an interpreter. Unlike 2017, Takata entered into a plea agreement with the U.S. meant finding a partner. Now, with Mitsubishi’s benefactor CTS Corp. had used a polymer (a resin synthesized from petro- the Toyota CEO, he made a disastrous impression and came Justice Department whereby it would pay $1 billion in penal- in jail, who knows what comes next? leum) that under certain conditions – extremely hot and cold across as inconsistent and evasive. ties including criminal penalties. The following June saw the temperatures – expanded and didn’t revert to its previous form. (Ono, by the way, spoke English. We spent half a day togeth- supplier file for bankruptcy and the firm was delisted by the WHERE ARE THEY NOW? In a very small number of cases, the pedal swelled and stuck er in Kurume and met twice in Nashville. His English was Tokyo Stock Exchange in July, 2017. Although the incident tarnished Toyota’s brand, the damage after being engaged, sending the car forward at high speeds. good, but his attempt at Congress to accept responsibility but Takata probably would have gone bankrupt sooner except from the sticky-pedal fiasco wasn’t long term. Toyoda, nine Toyota would eventually recall more than 7 million vehicles not blame was lost in translation to a hostile audience and that its main automotive customers couldn’t let it go under years later, has emerged as a strong chief executive. in the U.S. and another 2 million in other markets. skeptical public.) until they got a handle on the nature and extent of the prob- Bridgestone replaced Ono as Bridgestone/Firestone CEO Both Ford and Bridgestone lost money. Different sources lem and found new suppliers to replace it. in October 2000. Nearly 20 years later, the company is the DEATH BY BLOW OUT put the losses at more than $1 billion each including recall world’s number-one tire maker and exceedingly profitable. The second scandal involved the Ford Explorer, which under costs. More interesting is that Bridgestone/Firestone severed INFLATING MILEAGE RESULTS In fact, it is the most profitable automotive supplier in Japan, certain conditions – high-speed driving in hot climatic its nearly 100-year supplier relationship with Ford in May In our fourth scandal, no one died. No one was injured. No with an operating margin exceeding 10 percent. regions – rolled over after its tires blew out. 2001. Bridgestone also moved to close the subsidiary’s Deca- carcinogens were emitted into the atmosphere. It came to Takata ceased to exist in April 2018. Shigehisa Takada More than 270 fatalities and 800 injuries over nearly a tur, IL, plant, which produced the tires and which was the light when it was found that Mitsubishi Motors Corp. inflated resigned to make way for the sale of its assets to a competitor. decade starting in mid-1990s were linked to tread separation center of the earlier recall in 1978. mileage claims in its 660cc “kei” car business in Japan to meet Mitsubishi, despite tensions between Nissan and Renault, involving tires manufactured by Nashville-based Bridges- Ford increased the pressure level of the Explorer’s tires new, more stringent regulations. is 80 percent back to record earnings. Masuko, who joined tone/Firestone Inc. when it revamped the model in 2002. And while no one went to jail, several in senior manage- the automaker from Mitsubishi Corp. and turned 70 in Febru- Ford blamed the tires. Bridgestone/Firestone blamed the ment resigned, including Mitsubishi president Tetsuro ary, could very well stay on for several more years. Explorer’s design: specifically, that the automaker had added RECALLING 50 MILLION AIRBAGS Aikawa, himself a scion, the son of former Mitsubishi Heavy Carlos Ghosn remains in jail. ❶ weight, as much as 450 kg, through the model’s various itera- The third scandal centered around an estimated 20-25 deaths Industries president and chairman Kentaro Aikawa. tions yet didn’t change the specifications of the tires. that were attributed to faulty airbags supplied by Takata Osamu Masuko, who was chairman and CEO at the time, Roger Schreffler is a veteran business reporter who focuses on the auto Bridgestone/Firestone eventually asked the U.S. National which, to quote Automotive News, “exploded, sending metal did not resign. When we met shortly after the scandal came to sector, and a former FCCJ president.

6 MARCH 2019 FCCJ FCCJ MARCH 2019 7 Feature: Technology

HOW AI IS USED IN JOURNALISM Friend or foe: Automated journalism: producing stories from data. Initially it was used in reporting on sports and financial news. It can free journalists from routine tasks, improving efficiency and cost-cutting. AP uses Wordsmith software to turn financial data into stories. The Washing- Artificial Intelligence ton Post uses in house-developed technology Heliograf for reporting on sports events and electoral races.

Organizing workflow: tracking down breaking news, aggregating in the newsroom and organizing news using tags and links, moderating comments and a i using automated voice transcription. The New York Times uses the Perspective API tool developed by Jigsaw (Alphabet) to moderate AI may be repl c ng journ l sts in mundane readers’ comments. The Reuters Connect platform for journalists jobs, but it could also be the s v or of true displays all Reuters content, including the archive, and content from media partners around the world in real time. journ l sm in an incre s ngly complex world. Tracking news on social media: analyzing real time and historical data, identifying influencers and engaging with audiences. AP uses News- By Maria Teresa Ronderos the country’s members of Congress and highlights the rea- “TRANSPARENCY, A BASIC whip to monitor social media trends and increase engagement. sons that make some of the expenditures suspicious. JOURNALISTIC VALUE, any large newsrooms and news agencies have for There are many other ways in which algorithms are helping Engaging with audiences: Quartz Bot studio’s chatbot app allows some time been relegating sports, weather, stock journalists, from making rough cuts of videos, to recogniz- IS OFTEN AT ODDS WITH users to text questions about news events, people, or places, and the Mexchange movements and corporate performance ing voice patterns and identifying faces in a crowd. They can ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE” app replies with content it believes is be relevant to them. Others, stories to computers. One reason is that machines can be more be programmed to chat with readers (chatbots) and answer like the Guardian, include chatbots for Facebook Messenger. The BBC rigorous and comprehensive than some reporters. Another is queries. The tricky part is that this process cannot happen used bots to help cover the EU referendum. The AfriBOT project, that, unlike many journalists who often single-source stories, without a human journalist present who, with a goal in mind, newsrooms is transparency. Transparency, a basic one of the Innovate Africa grant winners, by the European Journal- software can import data from various sources, recognize asks relevant questions about the data. Reporters and editors journalistic value, is often at odds with Artificial ism Centre and The Source (Namibia and Zimbabwe), are developing trends and patterns and, using Natural Language Process- need to learn fast how these systems operate and how they Intelligence, which usually works behind the scenes,” an open source newsbot “to help African news organizations deliver ing, put those trends into context, constructing sophisticated can use them to enhance their journalism. says Nausica Renner, digital editor of the Columbia personalized news and engage more effectively with audiences via sentences with adjectives, metaphors and similes. A program, Most journalists in the world do not have access to a team of Journalism Review. messaging platforms.” for example, can now convincingly report on crowd emotions programmers or data scientists to help design and build their Media should let the audience know what personal in a tight soccer match. projects. Collaboration is the answer. Small newsrooms and data they are collecting if they want to remain cred- Automated fact-checking: allows journalists a speedy fact check These developments are why many in the journalistic pro- freelancers can make up for the lack of resources by teaming ible. Despite the powerful new toys allowing them of public statements or claims. Chequebot is used by Chequeado in fession fear that Artificial Intelligence will leave them with- up with software developers to help build a more permanent to cater precisely to their audiences’ taste, editors Argentina; Full Fact UK and partners are developing an automated out a job. But, if instead of fearing it, journalists embrace AI, collaboration. They can also become perceptive in spotting should also strive to inform users about what they fact-checking engine that “will spot claims that have already been it could become the savior of the trade – making it possible the many open-source search and analytics tools available. don’t want to know. The public interest is still the fact-checked in new places; and it will automatically detect and for them to better cover the increasingly complex, globalized Communication between journalists and techies is not a media’s business and the key to its survival. check new claims using Natural Language Processing and structured and information-rich world we live in. given. It needs a lot of learning from both sides and some By the same token, investigative reporters should data.” The Duke Reporter’s Lab in the US developed the tool Claim- Intelligent machines can turbo-power journalists’ report- trial and error. With ongoing technological development, do their best to explain how they are using algorithms Buster to deliver politically meaningful claims to media and, in 2017, ing, creativity and ability to engage audiences. Following pre- journalists now have an ever-expanding toolkit in which to to find patterns or process evidence for a story if they launched a hub for automated fact-checking projects. Factmata in dictable data patterns and programmed to “learn” variations hold power to account. With this increased capacity to listen want to be different from the manipulators and dema- the UK is also developing an automated fact-checking tool. in these patterns over time, an algorithm can help reporters to their communities and identify their needs, it would be a gogues who secretly collect data for use as a commer- arrange, sort and produce content at a speed never thought tremendous waste not to try. cial or political weapon. Moreover, healthy journalism Analyzing large data bases: software crunches data and looks for possible. It can systematize data to find a missing link in an should continue to bring to life those silenced voices patterns, changes or anything unusual. Reuters’ Lynx Insight goes investigative story. It can identify trends and spot the outlier Ethical Challenges and intractable issues around which no one has sys- through massive data sets and provides journalists with results and among millions of data points that could be the beginnings of The readers’ editor of the Guardian, Paul Chadwick, writing tematically collected information or built data sets. background information. OCCRP’s Crime Pattern Recognition uses a great scoop. For example, a media outlet can continuously about the relationship between journalism and Artificial Intelli- In the end, while it is true that AI enables journal- technology that analyzes large databases of documents for similar feed public procurement data into an algorithm which has the gence, proposes a new clause for the newspaper’s code of ethics. ism as never before, it is also true that this brings new corruption-related crimes and links between involved parties. ability to cross-reference this data against companies sharing “Software that ‘thinks’ is increasingly useful, but it does not challenges for learning and accountability. Without the same address. Perfecting this system could give reporters necessarily gather or process information ethically,” he warns. journalistic clarity, all this technology will not lead Image recognition: technology that recognises objects, places, many clues as to where corruption may be happening. “When using Artificial Intelligence to augment your journal- to a well-informed society. Without ethics, intelligent human faces and even sentiment in images. The New York Times Not only can intelligent computers analyze huge amounts ism, consider its compatibility with the values of this code.” technology could herald journalism’s demise. Without uses Amazon’s Rekognition API to identify members of congress of data to aid timely investigations, they can also help source Journalists have to be aware that algorithms may lie or clear purposes, transparent processes and the public in photos. Any user can test Google’s Vision API image recognition and fact-check stories from the crowd to see if contributions mislead. They have been programmed by humans, who have interest as a compass, journalism will lose the cred- technology for free. are reliable. According to a 2017 report from Columbia Jour- biases, and logical patterns may lead to the wrong conclu- ibility of people, no matter how many charts, bots and nalism School’s Tow Center, several media outlets in the U.S. sions. This means journalists will always need to check results whistles you adorn it with. ❶ Video production: automatically creates scripts from news articles are already using AI for fact checking. Reuters, for example, with their century-old verification techniques: cross-check- and produces narrated rough cuts of short video pieces from video María Teresa Ronderos, from Semana, Colombia’s leading is using News Tracer to track breaking news on social media ing sources, comparing documents, doubting their findings. news magazine, recently served as director of the Open Society footage. Wibbitz software is used by USA Today, Bloomberg and NBC. and verify the integrity of tweets. Serenata de Amor, a group Transparency is another must for journalism in this new Foundation’s Program on Independent Journalism. This piece was Researchers at Stanford University are developing an automated of technology enthusiasts and journalists from Brazil, uses a era of machine intelligence. originally published on the Medium page of the OSF program, and video editing tool. robot named Rosie to track every reimbursement claimed by “The biggest stumbling block for the entrance of AI into is reprinted with permission.

8 MARCH 2019 FCCJ FCCJ MARCH 2019 9 Series: Profile

Kathrin Erdmann By David McNeill

athrin Erdmann has leans toward social issues. “I’d been in Japan for less “I’D LIKE TO DO STORIES ON like to do stories on women, Kthan six months but has WOMEN, ON POVERTY AND HOW on poverty and how homeless already had her share of sur- people really live.” She wants prises. Take public prosecutors. HOMELESS PEOPLE REALLY LIVE.” to look at businesswomen who In her native Germany, report- buy men in host bars and says ers expect them to give detailed stories about Japan’s kawaii cul- briefings of ongoing cases. “Here, they say just ‘no comment’,” ture are popular back home. She recently visited a fashion she laughs, recalling her first calls to stonewalling prosecutors show, the first ARD correspondent in 12 years to do so. on the detention of Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s defrocked boss. “If you’re talking about a democracy, it is really shocking that ERDMANN IS RELUCTANT TO deploy the usual, sometimes cli- they don’t respond.” chéd historical comparisons between Germany and her new Then there is immigration, which Germany knows some- host country. “I think it’s too complicated,” she says, of the thing about too: It has fielded over 1.4 million asylum appli- discomforting legacy of World War II. “Nobody understands cations since Chancellor Angela Merkel resisted demands to why Japan has such difficulties with the past.” Still, the past close the country’s borders in 2015. Erdmann doesn’t under- can’t be completely avoided: “As a correspondent you can’t estimate the difficulties of accommodating such a tsunami of choose,” she says, noting that she has already been snagged foreigners. “It took a long time; we had a lot of problems with for stories on comfort women. refugees and still have, but we understood that they have to Not surprisingly, perhaps, given German’s nuclear-phobic speak the language, and we have to make it easy for them to reputation, Erdmann was invited to visit Fukushima soon after find a job.” she arrived. The resulting look at She sees no such system here. the cleanup from Japan’s 2011 “In Japan, [refugees and immi- disastrous triple meltdown was grants] have to learn Japanese “more or less” a promotion tour themselves; there are no pro- but she says that’s perfectly natu- grams to integrate them and ral. “If I were a foreign journal- learn the customs – and this is ist in Germany, of course, I would much more important here. This not expect them to show me the country needs immigration.” country’s weak points.” Still, the Erdmann says the missing ingre- technical complexity of the story dient is political leadership. “You means she is dreading a March have to really change the minds 11 deadline. “I would love to do a of people. This has to come from human story about someone who the politicians but they are not has been displaced instead.” really interested in attracting Like many Japan-based for- immigrants. My impression is that they only see them as sec- eign correspondents, Erdmann often finds herself busier ond-class people.” dealing with stories about its isolated neighbor, North Korea. Last October, she went there to report. “I had a lot of fun,” she ERDMANN COVERS JAPAN AND a large chunk of East Asia, says, recalling a “very good” cappuccino in Pyongyang and including Korea and Taiwan, for ARD, Germany’s powerful a trip to the mountains. “People were singing, dancing, and consortium of regional public broadcasters. A Berliner, she they had a barbecue. It was another face of North Korea. Of studied politics in the city before joining NDR (Northern course, I know it’s a difficult country but I could only report German Broadcasting) as a freelancer in 2005. NDR put her what I saw.” on half-time staff in 2011. The Tokyo bureau is her first full- Japan and Germany could still learn a lot from each other, time position. she says. While Merkel is criticized for accepting so many The decision to come halfway across the world wasn’t easy, Syrian refugees, Erdmann thinks that on balance the open- she says, during an interview at ARD’s office in the upscale border policy will be good for Germany. “On the other hand, residential district of Shoto, just around the corner from the I appreciate very much this deep culture and tradition in home of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. For one thing, she had to Japan. In some ways, we gave up on that in Germany.” The leave her partner behind in Germany. “I cannot ask someone important thing, she says, is to show respect to the place to give up and follow me here. By the time we would go back you’re reporting. “We all have our own personal interest but he would be in his mid-50s.” ultimately you just have to report the story.” ❶ Erdmann hopes her efforts will bring a fresh perspective from Asia to her millions of German listeners. The focus of David McNeill writes for the Irish Times and the Economist, and teaches her predecessors – all men – she says, was economics; she media literacy at Hosei and Sophia Universities. RODRICO REYES MARIN REYES RODRICO

10 MARCH 2019 FCCJ FCCJ MARCH 2019 11 Feature: Where news is made

A SENIOR POLITICIAN DEMANDED ALL THE QUESTIONS THAT HE WOULD FACE AFTER HIS SPEECH IN ADVANCE. AND WAS NOT EMBARRASSED AT MAKING THE DEMAND.

Studying newsmakers TSUNO YOSHIKAZU PHOTOS: At a PAC meeting, committee members consider the newsmakers. On the right, a member who his legal struggles with Nissan Motor Co. missed our portrait, Martin Koelling. The press conference in January with Ghosn’s previ- ous lawyer – with McNeill as moderator – was one of the best-attended in the FCCJ’s history. With the world’s making the demand. Instead of free-for-all press conferences, the media watching and the FCCJ logo prominent in the government has introduced “surgical strikes” in the form of invi- background, that sort of publicity can only be a good tation-only meetings with bureau chiefs, often off the record. The A packed meeting thing. The committee continues to try to get Greg Kel- downsides are obvious; most FCCJ members cannot access these Left to right, Fred Varcoe (freelance), Abby Leonard (freelance), ly – who is accused of abetting Ghosn’s alleged illegal senior government ministers and invitations can suddenly stop if Yuka Ito (PAC), co-chair Teddy Jimbo (Video News), actions – to speak at the Club, along with officials from the correspondent is perceived to have stepped out of line. Akiko Saikawa (PAC), co-chair David McNeill (The Economist), the prosecutor’s office for the other side of the story. Ken Moritsugu (AP), Roger Schreffler (WardsAuto). McNEILL SAYS HE HAS the utmost admiration for the FCCJ’s PAC THERE IS A STANDING request in with the government staff, who are charged with reaching out to potential speakers – for someone from the cabinet to speak at the Club, and cajoling those who are reluctant to step out of their comfort although McNeill admits it has been a “real struggle” to zone. “We have superb staff who are brilliant at what has to be convince the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo quite a demanding job,” he said. “Nominating these people is the Inviting those in the headlines to face Abe to engage with the foreign media since he returned easy part; they have to do all the tough stuff.” Nabbing to power in 2012. “We have never had Abe since he Akiko Saikawa, who oversees PAC events as media and press the questions of journalist Members is one was elected in 2012; in fact, we have not had [Finance conferences liaison manager, plays down the scale of the task she of the core elements of the FCCJ. Meet Minister] Taro Aso or any foreign minister since then,” regularly faces. “The hardest part is that we get so many requests the the Professional Activities Committee – McNeill said. “We have put in a lot of effort to get them from members suggesting people to come and speak at the Club: the team that’s responsible for the lineup. to come, but to no avail. It now feels like a boycott.” we can only have so many events,” she said. It is possible that the government considers the FCCJ “It is surprisingly easy to get some speakers to come, but on oth- to be in decline, with an ageing and shrinking core of er occasions we have to work really hard to try to persuade them to newsmakers full-time correspondents, more freelancers and blog- come. In some cases, it can take more than a year,” Saikawa said. gers writing for an online audience, but they almost “At that point, they often agree because we have worn them down; certainly prefer scripted events that they are able to they know we will just keep calling them until they agree. I think By Julian Ryall that is rarely as straightforward as it might be. “PAC is control – unlike the press conference on Sept. 25, 2014 some of them come just so we will stop calling them.” made up of working journalists who vote on events. If it in which Eriko Yamatani, chair of the National Public Along with Carlos Ghosn’s lawyer, a particularly memorable foreign correspondents’ club that lacks a hard-driving and is working well, it brings in speakers that are of use to Safety Commission, ended up “like a rabbit in the head- press conference for McNeill was David Kaye, the fast-acting committee dedicated to bringing in speakers to the Club’s members,” he said. “If it doesn’t do that, then lights,” McNeill said. Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right A address the most pressing and newsworthy issues of the members of the FCCJ cannot be plugged in to what is Arriving with the expectation of discussing North to freedom of opinion and expression, because it shone a new day, David McNeill reckons, is about as much use as the proverbial going on in Japan and the region.” Korea’s kidnapping of Japanese nationals, she was light on the on-going issue of Japan’s closed press club system and chocolate teapot. Members of the committee meet once a month to instead quizzed on the recent revelation of her close questions over the independence of the domestic media. Joint chair of the FCCJ’s Professional Activities Committee (PAC) propose speakers for the weeks ahead, although they links to Zaitokukai, described by McNeill himself in a But there are still some high-profile targets for the committee and a correspondent for the Economist, McNeill has served on the communicate recommendations via e-mail when a report on the event as “perhaps Japan’s most toxic rac- to convince to come to the Club. “It would be great to have the board and the Club’s Freedom of the Press Committee as well as breaking news story requires swift action to arrange for ist group.” The result was not the choreographed recep- Emperor or the Crown Prince – although that will likely never hap- editing the Number 1 Shimbun, but considers PAC to be the heart of a speaker to address the Club. tion she could have expected at the National Press Club, pen,” said McNeill. “But Abe would be a very important event for what the Club is about. “What are we if we’re not a fully function- In February, for example, the committee’s discussions but an example of how the media operates in most parts us and there is absolutely no reason why he could not come. We’re ing club that facilitates the work of journalists?” McNeill said. led to invitations being extended to , the of the world with a strong press. also obviously very keen to get Ghosn here just as soon as we can – The 12 member-strong committee is charged with consistently of , to speak after the prefecture-wide McNeill says he was “astonished” when another senior that would be huge for us.” ❶ delivering the people and issues that the Club’s members turn referendum on U.S. bases, and to the “combative” new politician demanded all the questions that he would face into column inches or video footage, he says, although he admits lawyer who has been taken on to defend Carlos Ghosn in after his speech in advance. And was not embarrassed at Julian Ryall is Japan correspondent for the Daily Telegraph.

12 MARCH 2019 FCCJ FCCJ MARCH 2019 13 Club news Photographer members

nominated court-martial drama A Few Truth, lies and Shock and Awe Good Men. “It’s an important story to Lens craft remember right now, assuming you Rob Reiner trains his lens on a true story about journalism, can remember anything after being jingoism and the drums of war. beaten over the head with talking points for 90 minutes,” Rolling Stone’s David Fear wrote. “The title is a misnomer.” By Tim Hornyak But Reiner didn’t seem to be phased when discussing his hopes for a better THERE’S A BRILLIANT SCENE in the response in Japan, where the film was 1970s U.S. TV show All in the Family slated to debut in March 2019 under where Archie Bunker, a “lovable the title Kishatachi (journalists). He bigot,” meets his daughter’s hippy noted that, in a happy irony, journalists boyfriend for the first time. Looking like Landay and Strobel are no longer over the headlines in a newspaper, media pariahs, thanks to the rise of they immediately begin arguing a reality TV star to the presidency. about the Vietnam War. When the Reiner said the U.S. news media has boyfriend calls the conflict illegal and been “bifurcated” between outlets with immoral, Bunker tells him, “You are a a pro-Donald Trump agenda and those meathead… Dead from the neck up!” that have returned to their watchdog He then breaks into an overpowering role vis-à-vis the White House. rendition of “God Bless America,” “CNN, NBC, Washington Post, New Somin-sai festival causing the boyfriend to storm out. York Times are holding the president Men at Kokusekiji, Oshu, after bathing in the river, Rob Reiner, the actor who played the accountable and they’re working very Feb. 11. The ancient festival is to pray for good boyfriend, is still protesting America’s harvests and the prevention of climate disasters. overseas wars. He visited Japan in by Richard Atrero de Guzman/SIPA February to promote his latest film, the “I believe mainstream media was not doing the true story of Knight Ridder journalists due diligence it needed to do at the time” A long line Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel Left, the Imperial family greets well- who probed the official justifications wishers from the balcony of the palace on for the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. American Century’, [a 1997 statement hard at trying to get to the truth,” the Emperor’s birthday, Dec. 23 last year. The title, Shock and Awe, refers to the of principles] written by a bunch of Reiner said. “That didn’t happen in by Albert Siegel battle plan concept developed at the neocons at a conservative .” the run-up to his election. I believe National Defense University that was mainstream media was not doing the Lion dance repeated by U.S. officials and parroted THE FILM INCLUDES A 2002 clip of due diligence it needed to do at the Below left, a street performance for by U.S. news media. then-Vice President Dick Cheney time, for a couple of reasons. One is I Chinese New Year in Yokohama enters a Apart from directing, Reiner stars as telling an audience, “Simply stated, don’t think they thought he was going restaurant, Feb. 5. Knight Ridder editor John Walcott, who there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein to win, and two, quite frankly, money. by Tomohiro Ohsumi has described the film as practically a now has weapons of mass destruction.” [Former CBS Corp. CEO] Les Moonves word-for-word accurate representation Mainstream U.S. media swallowed put it quite succinctly. He said ‘Donald More icy bathing of actual events. Reiner, known for this, hook, line and sinker, ignoring Trump is bad for the country. He’s Below right, Shinto believers pour iconic films like Stand By Me, When investigative reports written by Landay good for CBS.’” purifying cold water over themselves at Harry Met Sally… and This Is Spinal Tap, and Strobel, portrayed in the film by All in the Family also aired on CBS, Kanda shrine, Tokyo, Jan, 26. visited the FCCJ to talk not only about Woody Harrelson and James Marsden, and no doubt Archie Bunker would by Yoshikazu Tsuno why he wanted to make a movie about respectively. The jingoist chorus for have cheered Trump’s refrain of “fake the George W. Bush administration but invasion grew as overwhelming as news.” The anti-war boyfriend though, also today’s news media landscape. Bunker’s singing. The result, of course, would probably respond with a line “I was of draft age during the was the fall of the Iraq regime and, from Shock and Awe that Reiner’s Vietnam War, and as we were running according to the website Iraq Body Walcott delivers to his troops: “When up to the war in Iraq in 2003 I was Count, the violent deaths of over the government says something, appalled that in my lifetime we would 280,000 civilians and combatants. U.S. you only have one question to ask: be engaging in war based on lies,” weapons inspectors found no militarily Is it true?” If American news media said Reiner. “We knew that there significant WMD. today does its job, future scholars of was no connection between Saddam The war left a tragic, divisive journalism may look back and say, Hussein and 9/11. We knew that there legacy that was reflected in the film’s “Those were the days.” ❶ was no evidence of weapons of mass production. Some U.S. news media destruction, WMD. And we knew outlets refused to sell footage for use Tim Hornyak is a freelance writer who has that the administration was using in Shock and Awe. Predictably enough, worked for IDG News, CNET News, Lonely the fear of the American public in many American viewers didn’t warm Planet and other media. He is the author of going forward and invading Iraq to it either, with critics comparing it Loving the Machine: The Art and Science of based on the ‘Project for a New unfavorably to Reiner’s 1992 Oscar- Japanese Robots.

14 MARCH 2019 FCCJ FCCJ MARCH 2019 15 Club News

IN MEMORIAM

Yasuhara’s husband, former Club Maryknoll’s philosophy of liberation Life Member James P. Colligan president Roger Schreffler. “The Club theology.” The society “has actively had an auction for some reason, I can’t promoted the idea that social justice recall why or when. Jim donated more is more important than personal “Just as he always was while sitting than a hundred of his coasters. I do morality.” He added, “I believe in social at a table in the Main Bar, Jim was remember that I bought one on which justice myself, but not to the point often the grownup in the room. He he had drawn a pigeon.” where it takes away responsibility for was measured, polite, intelligent and Although he seldom wore a clerical individual behavior.” empathetic with a subtly wicked sense collar in the Club, Colligan, with his of humor.” chiseled Irish looks, could have been REPORTING ON QUESTIONS OF that Coming from what he described as Hollywood casting’s version of a sort more than a decade later would a working class family in the ethnic handsome priest. As Schreffler puts bring Pulitzer Prize recognition to mixing bowl that was Pittsburgh, Jim it, “he was dapper, the most eligible the Boston Globe and, still later, win Colligan had an explanation for his bachelor some might say.” Or, as Colligan the movie Spotlight the Oscar for best healthy lungs despite exposure to himself would have protested, ineligible. picture. But such was the level of the tobacco smoke that used to fill Often asked to handle delicate Club concern about Colligan’s challenge the Club’s bars: In the American steel Wedding vows legal issues, Colligan liked to say, tongue that his superiors ordered him home capital he’d awakened each morning to Jim officiates a in cheek, that he did so in reliance on for a psychiatric examination. find soot on the family’s window sills. marriage in his “canon law.” In one such instance in When talking with fellow FCCJ role in the parish 1993, recounted in the official Club members, he compared the experience history, president Lew Simons asked to something that would have been He was measured, President George H.W. Bush. When Colligan to deal with a dispute over inflicted on a Soviet dissident. He polite . . . with a subtly the president fell ill at a state dinner, regular membership qualifications. described his stay at the order’s New Colligan was there. York-area base as akin to house arrest. wicked sense of humor. He was a fixture evenings in the ONE IRATE MEMBER “PROMPTLY sent Eventually, in 1997, Colligan wangled Main Bar, where he exhibited his Simons a fax complaining that the a career-capping assignment to COLLIGAN WENT TO COLLEGE at artistic talent by constantly sketching problem should be handled by a regular . Jim Palmer, former AP Duquesne University and enjoyed the cartoons on the backs of drink correspondent and not ‘by a fucking photojournalist, and his wife Pamela dating scene. He even came close to coasters. He and the late Richard Pyle missionary.’ Simons handed the were among Tokyo friends who had marrying one woman – but before of the AP “scribbled lots of cartoons, message to Colligan, who was sitting already moved to L.A. Pam Palmer that could happen he realized he had a often funny ones,” recalls former Club next to him in the bar. Colligan smiled relates that they helped him find an religious vocation. Of course, Catholic board member Toshio Aritake. Some of and said, ‘No, no. I’m the unfucking apartment and that he had “a swell priests must take vows of chastity and those cartoons, signed “Japacol,” made missionary.’ Colligan eventually was time.” Colligan led Sunday services at so, he recalled, he “said a sad goodbye” it into Number 1 Shimbun. able to defuse the issue.” a couple of churches and, in his spare and went off to the seminary of the Even though his eyes might twinkle hours, rode his bicycle, hung out with Maryknoll Society. “HE SHOWED THAT DRY wit,” agrees when he referred to his priestly vows, the Palmers, Tharp and ex-UPI Tokyo In 1955, after his ordination, Father Tharp. “He drew one for us –‘The he was dead serious about them. That correspondent John Needham and Colligan was posted to Japan as a Buckboard’ with me at the reins and was a major factor when, ultimately, became a champion (in his age group) Maryknoll missioner. He studied caricatures of our board members in Colligan-style journalism apparently skyscraper climber. Japanese and carried out parish priest the wagon.” became too probing to suit some He returned to Maryknoll’s duties in Sapporo and Kyoto parishes. A topic he kept returning to in superiors in his religious order. The headquarters in Ossining, NY, to live For four years, he was a pastor and conversation was the pigeons that work that upset Maryknoll bosses in the society’s retirement home for a kindergarten principal in the coal-mining made sleep in his Tokyo apartment was on a topic less often addressed couple of years. Then, after cerebral town of Mikasa in . At the same difficult and repeatedly fouled his at that time than it is now: priests incidents and an eventual diagnosis time, he taught English at Hokkaido balcony. To hear him talk, you’d aggressively indulging their sexuality. of dysphasia, he moved back to University’s Iwamizawa Division. imagine he went after them relentlessly “Maryknoll priests who have taken Pittsburgh – by then a city cleaned He took time out to study journalism but haplessly – the way Wile E. Coyote vows of chastity and fidelity to the up, gentrified and quite pleasant. JAMES P. COLLIGAN, a Roman Colligan was determined to show that back in the U.S., at Syracuse University, pursued the Roadrunner. Church are bound to uphold that His final two years, during which he Catholic priest and FCCJ Life church-sponsored journalism was the then returned to Japan as a journalist. Club colleagues didn’t hesitate to teaching, both in word and deed,” he went silent on social media, were Member who died at 90 on Jan. 31 real deal. Representing UCAN (Union Besides writing for the Catholic news consult him on the relevant theology. wrote in a 1991 article in the Catholic spent in assisted living there as some in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, had of Catholic Asian News) and then CNS organizations, he also did a column Animal lover Mieko Yasuhara, longtime magazine Crisis, in which he cited a of his many relatives helped look something in common with Cold (Catholic News Service), he threw for a Protestant publication, Japan translator of ’s “Vox series of cases of Maryknoll priests after their beloved brother and uncle. War-era journalistic contemporaries himself into both reporting good stories Christian Quarterly. He edited a book Populi” column, was given to feeding behaving otherwise. “As more cases like “The adventurous life that he led was who represented government- and participating in the professional called The Image of Christianity in the pigeons on her own balcony. A this become known, priests everywhere something that touched my entire funded news organizations ranging activities that help make good stories Japan: A Survey. A highly accomplished graduate of a Catholic school, she become targets of suspicion on the family,” a nephew, Shawn MacIntyre, from VOA and Stars and Stripes to possible. He served three terms as chair photographer, he published a book asked whether cats have immortal parts of mothers and parishioners.” said in a eulogy. ❶ Komsomolskaya Pravda and Novoye of the Foreign Press in Japan and was of photos of the 1981 visit to Japan by souls – and if so, whether Colligan Criticizing priests and officials Vremya, and who did not wish to be – elected to the FCCJ’s board. Pope John Paul II. would baptize her cat Kobayakawa. “who take a light view of the problem,” Bradley Martin, in his 42nd year as an Asia or to be seen as – anything less than “Jim was on my board,” recalls Mike Non-religious news stories he “No,” he replied, unfazed. he argued that “one reason for correspondent, is also the author of a thriller first class correspondents. “Buck” Tharp, Club president 1989-90. covered included the 1992 visit of “It was all good fun,” remembers their neglect and acquiescence is set in a near-future North Korea.

16 MARCH 2019 FCCJ FCCJ MARCH 2019 17 Club news

FCCJ EXHIBITION NEW MEMBERS NEW IN THE LIBRARY

REGULAR MEMBERS Kakejiku art Comfort Women and SIMON DENYER is the Washington Post’s bureau chief for Hanging scrolls Sex in the Battle Zone Japan and the Koreas. He arrived in Japan last summer as Ikuhiko Hata; Jason a refugee from China’s pollution and Internet censorship, Michael Morgan (trans.) after five years in Beijing. He also spent more than seven A total of 33 designers, selected Hamilton Books years in India, for the Post and Reuters, and managed by the designers’ association DAS, Gift from Yoshiko to get a book out of the experience: Rogue Elephant: display new takes on Gifu’s traditional Sakurai Harnessing the Power of India’s Unruly Democracy. He won kakejiku (Japanese hanging scrolls). an Overseas Press Club award for his coverage of China’s DAS believes that kakejiku are one The Private Diplomacy Internet censorship and digital surveillance, a National Headliners Award of the best interior decoration of Shibusawa Eiichi: and a Human Rights Press Award for coverage of Tibet. He also covered the choices for today’s art lovers (with Visionary Entrepreneur Libyan uprising against Gaddafi and Ukrainian civil war for the Post, and extra advantages of being light and and Transnationalist of Modern Japan was president of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia in New compact). The exhibition’s aim is Masahide Shibusawa; The Center for Delhi. He worked as Reuters Washington bureau chief during the Obama to continue to inspire new kakejiku International Communication (trans.) administration, as Pakistan & Afghanistan bureau chief shortly after 9/11, reflecting different lifestyles all Renaissance Books and in Nairobi, New York and for Reuters text and television. Born over the world – and to promote a Gift from Masahide Shibusawa in Portsmouth, and a devoted Pompey fan, he now lives in another port city, beautiful craft. ❶ Yokohama, with his wife and daughter, and still plays football and cricket at Colonizing Language : Cultural every possible opportunity, if not always very well. Designers: Motodugu Araki, Junko Inagaki, Production and Language Politics in Shinsaku Inoue, Takako Imatani, Hiroshi Ira, Modern Japan and Korea Dairoku Oka, Miyoko Kawamura, Kazuo SHINJI INADA is the Foreign News Section editor of Christina Yi Kimura, Hiroko Koshino, Tadahiro Sakamoto, the Asahi Shimbun. He joined the paper in 1992 and held Columbia University Press Hitoshi Sasaki, Kunio Sato, Takahiro Shima, positions in Gifu and before joining the Foreign EBSCO* Akihito Mizu, Giacomo Valentini, Shinnosuke News section at the Tokyo head office in 1998. His Sugizaki, Yoshinori Sengoku, Toshihiko Daimon, Yukichi Takada, Zenmaru Takahashi, overseas roles have included bureau chief in Tehran from Reinventing Japan: New Akihiko Tamura, Masahiko Tsubota, Yoshihiro 1999 to 2001, a stint as correspondent in London from Directions in Global Noguchi, Shigeki Hattori, Masaki Hisatani, 2004 to 2007 and bureau chief in from 2010 to 2014. Leadership Takeshi Fukuda, Takashi Fujita, Riko Honta, He has been with the Foreign News Section since 2015. Martin Fackler and Yoshiho Mawatari, Haruko Mitori, Akiko Yoichi Funabashi (ed.) Miyako, Takao Yamada, Yoji Yamamoto. Praeger YUKO TAKEO reports on the economy for Bloomberg Gift from Martin Fackler News, and is currently focused on covering the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Japan. Since joining Target: Business Wisdom Bloomberg in 2013, she has covered the Japanese stock from the Ancient Japanese Martial Art “WE’RE TAKING THE INITIATIVE IN APPOINTING market, Japan’s giant pension fund GPIF, and various of Kyudo corporate news. She returns to the FCCJ after being a Jérôme Chouchan A GREATER NUMBER OF WOMEN. CURRENTLY student member back in 2011. Born in Tokyo, Yuko is a ABOUT 20 PERCENT OF OUR GOVERNMENT’S LID Publishing graduate of and the London School of Gift from Jérôme Chouchan MANAGERIAL ROLES BELONG TO WOMEN . . . Economics and Political Science. AND I BELIEVE THIS DIVERSITY LEADS TO A PITCH Target: Godiva wa naze uriage nibai o HIGHER QUALITY OF GOVERNMENT THAT BETTER REINSTATEMENT (REGULAR) Masatoshi Kato, Nikka Shoko Co., Ltd. gonenkan de tassei shitanoka? Toin Hospital SERVES ITS PEOPLE.” Stefan J. Wagstyl, Financial Times/ Makoto Miyauchi, ターゲット：ゴディバはなぜ売上２倍を５年間 Nikkei Asian Review Yoko Niwa, Real Estate Research で達成したのか？ US Institute, Inc. Jérôme Chouchan PROFESSIONAL/JOURNALIST Munenori Ogata, MUFG Bank, Ltd. Takahashi Shoten ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Tomohiro Omoda, Central Japan Gift from Jérôme Chouchan Takao Nagatake, Chunichi Shimbun International Airport Co., Ltd. Kenichi Sakuma, Makino Publishing Yohei Suzuki, Shihodo Gallery * EBSCO is an e-library system provider. YOUR Co., Ltd. Yoshinao Takashima, Tokyo Maine & Members are able to borrow books from Nichido Fire Insurance anywhere via the FCCJ Library’s EBSCO ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Yasuhiro Tamai, K and Blue Co., Ltd. account. Goya Furukawa, Sumitomo Mitsui Ichiro Yonahara, Japan Steels The system works in a similar way to the STORY Banking Corporation International Co., Ltd. lending system of the print-book library Please send your story ideas to Shinichi Fukuoka, Real Estate REINSTATEMENT (ASSOCIATE) in that only one person can borrow these [email protected], and be sure Research Institute, Inc. Yasutaka Sanga, Kajiya Corporation books at a time. But after due dates to note whether you have (or have Yoshiaki Hagiwara, Hagiwara Electric borrowers will not be able to open the Tokyo Governor , on what her government is Co., Ltd. access to) visuals. Holdings Co., Ltd. Noriko Takaku book. Members will need their own ID and doing to improve what she called Japan’s “truly shameful” Ichiro Ishikawa, K and Blue Co., Ltd. password to use the service. gender gap ranking. At an FCCJ press conference, Feb. 16. Our rates are ¥20 per published word Satoshi Ihara, Sun Realty & Insurance Full guidance for using these books will Corporation be explained to Members.

18 MARCH 2019 FCCJ FCCJ MARCH 2019 19