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How Japan's Oldest English- Language Newspaper Tacked Right

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How Japan's Oldest English- Language Newspaper Tacked Right Volume 17 | Issue 7 | Number 4 | Article ID 5240 | Apr 01, 2019 The Asia-Pacific Journal | Japan Focus Reinventing the Japan Times: How Japan’s oldest English- language newspaper tacked right: Updated David McNeill, Justin McCurry On November 30th, 2018 The Japan henceforth refer to them as ‘wartime Times waded into the interminable controversy laborers.’” In addition, the note said, the over Japan’s wartime misdeeds with a small description of “comfort women”, a euphemism editor’s note tacked onto the end of a story for girls and women herded into military about conscript labor. The previous day, South brothels would be changed to reflect the fact Korea’s Supreme Court had ruledthat their experiences “varied widely.” Hence, that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries should“women who were forced to provide sex for compensate Korean forced laborers. That Japanese troops before and during world war followed a similar ruling against Nippon Steel two” would be dropped in favor of ‘women who in October. With another dozen lawsuits worked in wartime brothels, including those pending against about 70 Japanese companies, who did so against their will, to provide sex to Japan’s most venerable English-language Japanese soldiers’.” newspaper appeared to question whether these laborers were actually forced to work at all. The revision was greeted with glee byThe Japan Times’ critics, who view the country’s oldest English-language newspaper as a nest of whining Western liberals dedicated to blackening Japan’s image (its nickname among online rightists is “The Anti-Japan Times”). Sakurai Yoshiko, president of the Japan Institute for National Fundamentals (a conservative think tank) and Sato Masahisa, state minister for foreign affairs, were among several prominent commentators who publicly congratulated the management. Sato wondered out loud if the long-running campaign to alter media descriptions of Japan’s wartime conduct The South Korean Supreme Courtwas finally bearing fruit. upheld the verdict requiring Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to compensate Korean A larger group of people praised the paper for forced laborers adopting what one called “a more reasonable policy on terminology”, one that did not assume “all brothel workers were slaves or laborers “The term ‘forced labor’ has been used to refer forced.” The reaction among journalists and to laborers who were recruited before and editors inside the paper, itself, however, was during world war two to work for Japanese disbelief, then anger and protest. companies,” said the note. “However, because the conditions they worked under or how these According to several sources at the paper, workers were recruited varied, we willDaimon Sayuri, the paper’s managing editor, 1 17 | 7 | 4 APJ | JF sent out a brief note on the revision on The Japan Times management appeared November 29th. There was no consultation unprepared for the wider reaction to the among the editors and reporters that have kept editorial change. The Guardian was one of the newspaper humming through one of the several foreign media outlets that covered the toughest periods in its 120-year history. Mizuno story, prompting one social media user to Hiroyasu, the paper’s director and executive describe the British newspaper’s Japan and editor, was identified as the author. “We Korea correspondent, Justin McCurry, as demanded a meeting with Mizuno on Monday,” “Japan-hating”. McCurry contacted the said one staffer. That demand evolved into an newspaper by phone on the day of the editor’s angry, sometimes tearful three-hournote and was asked to address his questions in confrontation on December 3rd, followed the writing and send them to a generic email next day by a meeting with Kambara Suematsu address, with the assurance that “someone will Minako, the paper’s new publisher. pick them up.” He did not receive a response, and noted that in the story he filed the same The key demands were straightforward: that afternoon. According to multiple sources at the the paper return to the “internationallyJT, when senior editors were asked why they recognized style” for wartime comfort women had failed to respond to an email by an and conscripted labor, and that Mizuno take internationally recognized newspaper, they responsibility for the abrupt editorial turn. initially denied receiving the correspondence. It According to those at the meeting, most of the then transpired that somehow the email had editorial staff (30 out of 120 employees) found its way into the account’s trash folder. rebelled and several threatened to quit. Later, The JT did respond … six days afterthe around two-dozen staff put their names to a Guardian story was published. An unnamed statement opposing the editorial changes. In spokesperson said the decision to change its the New Year, one staff writer, Cory Baird, style had been reached after “lengthy announced that he had resigned via his Twitter discussions between the executive editor and account. certain managers”, and denied that the paper had come under any pressure. “The decision That initial meeting was seen by some as an was made in the belief that the change would opportunity to clear the air after more than a better reflect a more objective view of what year of tension under the paper’s new owners. many historians, researchers and journalists In 2017, Nifco, the plastic components agree are extremely difficult issues to manufacturer that bought the paper in 1996, summarize,” the spokesperson said. “As for the sold it to News2u Holdings, an “online public pressure from outside parties, the answer is no. relations service.” Nifco’s boss, Ogasawara In the past, we have frequently reported on Toshiaki, had treated the paper with benign these contentious issues, and, when neglect, content to bask in the prestige of its appropriate, cited the government’s official rich history, while ignoring grumbling about its stance, but the language we use has always politics, sinking readership or (frombeen decided upon independently. The recent shareholders) years of operating losses. His style revision was not predicated by any death in 2016 allowed Nifco to look for new request from the government. proprietors, who quickly took a broom to several columnists, notably Jeff Kingston of The mainstream Japanese press greeted the Temple University Tokyo and Yamaguchi Jiro of controversy largely by ignoring it. TheAsahi Hosei University – both full-throated critics of Shimbun, which has had its own troubles with the government of Abe Shinzo. comfort women coverage, would have been 2 17 | 7 | 4 APJ | JF reluctant – understandably – to intrude on a According to those present, the newspaper’s fellow media organization’s grief over the issue management was taken aback by the size of the of Japan’s wartime conduct. The Japan News, revolt on December 4th and seemed unusually the English-language edition of theYomiuri defensive. One manager claimed the root of the Shimbun, also kept its counsel, having issued a problem was "exaggerated reporting by the feeble apology over its own past use of “sex foreign media." Mizuno singled out slaves” at the height of the orgy of Asahi- the Financial Times for still using the term “sex bashing in 2014. Only NHK has gone further, slaves” but insisted he was not “rightwing.” insisting that its English-language editors describe them as “those referred to as wartime There were explicit denials of direct comfort women.” The Nikkei was similarly government interference or of ties to the sheepish – perhaps with good reason: on the radical right. Some staffers noted Mizuno’s day the JT ran its editor’s note, the Nikkei – friendship with Hori Yoshito, the Harvard- Mizuno’s former employer – announced it had educated CEO of Globis Capital Partners and given Kambara a gong for “communicating Management School. Hori is also a former Japan to the world” (日本を伝えるメディア賞) director of the Japan Institute for National Fundamentals, the same conservative think- as part of its Woman of the Year awards. The tank Sakurai runs. Both are considered close to New York Times, with which The Japan Times Nippon Kaigi, Japan’s most powerful rightwing has had a publishing agreement since 2013, lobby. has not publicly commented. The institute’s demands for revisions to the Journalists at the paper describe other more English language of Japan’s wartime behavior insidious changes that suggest a shift to the overlap strongly with the November 30 right in its political stance, regardless of its editorial changes. Its website says: “What is management’s claims to the contrary. One wrongly referred to as “requisitioned” and or senior reporter, known for his sometimes “compulsorily recruited” laborers (from the aggressive questioning of Japan’s top Korean Peninsula in the wartime past) should spokesman, Suga Yoshihide, was yanked off his be correctly called “wartime Korean workers.” beat at the Prime Minister’s Office. Editorials, Comfort women, says one member, were including one on November 23rd berating the “registered prostitutes under the supervision of South Korean government for gutting the 2015 the military.” Hori himselfwrote on the “comfort women” agreement, seemed to lean Institute’s website in 2015 that Japan should right, away from the paper’s old liberal or at stop apologizing for its past. least conciliatory stance. There were notes from the editor nudging staff toward more One journalist at the paper noted that Hori has positive coverage of Abe, and of Japan itself. A published an agenda titled “100 Actions: journalist described
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