Mass Media in Japan, Fake News in the World FORUM REPORT 013 Mass Media in Japan, Fake News in the World Reexamining Japan in Global Context Forum, Tokyo, Japan, April 2, 2018 The Japanese Media in flux: Watchdog or Fake News? Daisuke Nakai Asahi Shimbun* The Japanese media are diverse, vibrant, and trusted by that I use.” This placed Japan 28th out of 36 countries. In the public. In recent years, however, this trust has declined, the Japan Press Research Institute study, only 28.9 percent although it is unclear to what extent. Foreign and domestic answered that newspapers served as a watchdog against the critics, including within the Japanese media, have expressed government, with 42.4 percent thinking that “newspapers do concern, with some claiming that press freedom is in decline. not report on all they know about politicians.” In the MIAC Japanese newspapers have been feeling the effects of the poll, while 73.5% trusted newspapers for politics and eco- Internet, as in other countries. Although circulation and ad- nomics, only 51.2% did so for “the safety of nuclear energy” vertising revenue are down, Japan still enjoys a large media and 56.9% for “diplomatic issues in East Asia.” Various stud- presence. As of April 2017, the Japan Newspaper Publish- ies also show that younger people tend to trust the media ers & Editors Association’s membership consisted of 104 less. newspapers, 4 wire services, and 22 television stations, for a Many critics raise the “Kisha (press) clubs” as a symbol of total of 130 companies. Many other magazines and Internet- both the closed nature of the press and the close relationship based publications do not belong to the Association but are between reporters and the people they cover. However, the widely read and influential. nature and tone of this criticism seems to be changing, espe- Although the level of public trust in the media has dropped cially following the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011 and over the last 10 years, it remains high. In a 2017 Japan Press the Liberal Democratic Party’s return to power in 2012. In Research Institute study, 70.0 percent of the public answered a media context where reporters are closely linked to the es- that they trust the National Broadcaster NHK, and 68.7 tablishment, observers—including foreign journalists within percent indicated that they trust newspapers. In a 2016 poll and outside of Japan, as well as David Kaye, the UN’s Special conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Commu- Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to nications (MIAC), 70.1 percent of respondents answered freedom of opinion and expression—have expressed growing that they “always” or “mostly” trusted newspapers, with 65.5 concern about the viability of watchdog reporting and the percent saying so about television, compared to 33.8 percent freedom of the press in Japan. for the Internet and 20.5 percent for magazines. These concerns are given credence by Japan’s falling rank On the other hand, in a study by the Reuters Institute in the World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters for the Study of Journalism, only 44 percent of the Japa- Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontières, or RSF). Japan’s nese public answered that “most of the time I trust the news position has dropped steadily from 11th place in 2010 to 72nd place in 2016 and 2017. In its latest report, RSF states * The views presented here are personal and not necessarily those that “Media freedom in Japan has been declining ever since of Asahi Shimbun. Shinzo Abe became Prime Minister again in 2012. What FORUM REPORT 013 1 Reexamining Japan in Global Context repeatedly raised issues concerning Fukushima, citing a “cli- Trust in Japanese Media mate of censorship and self-censorship” and the lack of access to the accident site by freelance and foreign journalists. Japan Press Research Institute Poll Much of this criticism mentions the Asahi Shimbun, one of 80 Japan’s major daily newspapers. In 2014, the paper retracted 70 parts of its past reporting on the “comfort women” issue and 60 also retracted a major story about the Fukushima accident, 50 NHK Newspapers leading to the resignation of the president of the company 40 Commercial Broadcasters Radio and a large drop in circulation and trust. Internet 30 Magazines Domestic criticism against the media has also been on the 20 rise. The term “fake news” has entered the Japanese lexicon, 10 not only in the sense of fabricated news, but also in the sense 0 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 that U.S. President Donald Trump uses it: to denigrate and dismiss news that he does not admit is true or is not to his liking. Two stories connected with the Abe Administration, involving Moritomo Gakuen and Kake Gakuen, illustrate Trust in Media over different this trend. Moritomo Gakuen is a private school in Osaka that was subjects running a kindergarten emphasizing conservative education. It was planning to open an elementary school, and Ms. Akie Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Poll Abe, Prime Minister Abe’s wife, agreed to be the “honor- Internet ary principal.” The school hoped to obtain a parcel of gov- Magazines ernment-owned real estate, and after negotiations with the Newspapers Ministry of Finance and the Kinki Financial Bureau, they ar- Television ranged to buy it for a heavily discounted price. After the land deal became apparent in February 2017, the circumstances 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0% surrounding it, and whether the school’s ties to Ms. Abe had East Asian Affairs Safety of Nuclear Power Foreign News Domestic Social Issues Domestic Politics any effect, developed into a major story. However, Mr. Abe has denied that either he or his wife were involved with the land purchase. Japan Dropping in Kake Gakuen is another private school, whose chairman is an old friend of Mr. Abe. The school had long been try- Press Freedom Index ing to obtain a license to open a veterinary school but had World Press Freedom Index Ranking not been successful because of restrictions on the number of 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 veterinarians in Japan. In 2015, the Abe Administration de- 5 4 11 11 cided to make an exception for new veterinary schools if they 17 17 20 2019 21 22 22 22 met certain criteria, and Imabari city in Ehime Prefecture, 24 24 23 27 28 28 28 29 28 29 31 31 31 Japan 32 33 where Kake Gakuen had planned its school, applied and was 34 34 South Korea 36 37 37 38 39 39 40 USA 41 42 42 41 approved. In May of 2017, it emerged that the Ministry of 44 44 44 43 UK 47 47 46 49 48 48 49 Finland 51 51 50 53 Education had kept documents that said that officials had 56 57 59 61 6160 63 been told that the veterinary school was “the Prime Minis- 69 70 71 72 72 ters’ will.” Again, Mr. Abe has denied any involvement, but 81 the two stories dominated political coverage in 2017. At the same time, the two stories have been taken as sym- with controversial dismissals and resignations, growing self- bols of “slanted reporting” by groups and individuals sup- censorship within the leading media groups and a system of portive of Mr. Abe. One LDP politician said in the National “kisha clubs” (reporters’ clubs) that discriminate against free- Diet that “The Moritomo story is not a scandal but rather lancers and foreign reporters, journalists have difficulty serv- news where the facts are not being reported properly. If you ing the public interest and fulfilling their role as democracy’s asked Mr. Trump he would call it fake news.” A different watchdogs.” The report also mentions harassment by na- politician called the reporting of “the prime minister’s will” tionalist groups against reporters who cover certain subjects, a “fabrication.” A conservative commentator, Eitaro Ogawa, and a law passed by the Abe Administration concerning the published a book on the Asahi’s reporting of the two stories, classification of “Specially Designated Secrets.” RSF has also calling it “the worst crime by reporting in postwar Japan.” 2 FORUM REPORT 013 Mass Media in Japan, Fake News in the World It has also become more common for mainstream media tion is necessary to get rid of fake news.” organizations to criticize each other. For example, the Sankei One also hears a great deal of concern about “access jour- group set up a website, “Japan Forward,” which “aims to nalism.” This is a curious phrase. Access to authority is criti- present the true face of Japan.” The site includes commentary cal for informed reporting, whether in Japan or overseas. In such as “Ugly Truth: Is the Japanese Media Bent on Criticiz- the United States, the White House Correspondents Associa- ing Abe at All Costs?” and “Slanted, Sensationalized News: tion takes pride in its access to the White House. In presi- How Some Japanese Media Have Gone Into Slow Suicide.” dential campaigns, “embedded journalists” follow candidates The latter article claimed that the coverage of Moritomo and for months on end. How is that different from Japan? Kake was “embarrassing and a disgrace to the profession.” While some members of the Abe Administration may be Is the situation in Japan so dire? To be certain, the media more combative with the press than was the case with past in Japan could do much to improve their reputation.