Opposition Growing Against Personal Information,
Human Rights Protection Bills
Ever since the Diet began dealing with the controversial personal information protection and human rights protection bills, news organizations and other groups have been building momentum in their struggle to have the bills rejected.
On April 24, the NSK Board of Directors issued an emergency statement, saying that the two bills would pave the way for the government to interfere with the freedom of expression guaranteed under the Constitution.
As of the end of May, a total of 42 local or regional organizations and groups associated with newspapers or broadcasters had issued statements of protest or had sent letters of objection against the bills to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, political organizations or members of parliament. An additional total of as many as 60 local broadcasters and program-examination boards have also raised their voices in opposition to the bills.
Media people in Ehime, Kyoto and Kagoshima prefectures not only issued protest statements, but also organized a symposium to launch an opposition campaign among readers and the general public. The Commercial Broadcasting News Reporting Council, which represents 113 commercial TV and radio broadcasters, has also declared its opposition to the bills.
Since the start of June, publishing associations including the Japan Book Publishers Association, the Japan Magazine Publishers Association and the Japan Publication Wholesalers Association have been placing posters in bookstores across the country to protest the personal information protection and human rights protection bills, as well as another bill that purports to offer protection to youth from potentially harmful environments.
The publishing associations see the three bills as reflecting a hidden motive of tightening regulations on the activities of the media. The associations published a joint opinion advertisement against the bills in about 300 periodical magazines.
On the political front, the Mie Prefectural Assembly has become the first prefectural assembly to adopt a resolution demanding the withdrawal of the personal information protection bill, which it said would pressure the media to adopt self-imposed curbs on news reporting.
The Yomiuri Shimbun on May 12 published a proposal to modify the personal information protection bill and the human rights protection bill. The Yomiuri move was an effort to get the government to change the bills. Many other newspapers used their editorials to demand major changes or the outright rejection of the bills, going beyond the position that the Yomiuri had taken.
The Yomiuri proposed two main changes to the personal information protection bill. First, of the five principles that the bill would impose on parties dealing with personal information -- limited use, appropriate acquisition, accuracy, safety and transparency, the Yomiuri proposed that news reporting be exempted from meeting the principle of transparency. Second, the Yomiuri proposed that the bill expressly state that the government must show due respect for freedom of expression.
As for the human rights protection bill, the Yomiuri made a four-point proposal. Among those points was a call for recourse under the law to be limited to cases in which human rights are violated by deviant newsgathering activities, and that government respect for freedom of expression once again be clearly required.
But other media people have criticized the Yomiuri's accommodations, saying that even accepting just four of the five principles in the proposed personal information protection bill would limit the freedom to report and gather news. The critics also maintain that no matter how the human rights protection bill might be modified, it will always essentially constitute tighter regulation of the media.
The coincidental May 28 revelation that the Defense Agency has prepared and circulated lists of personal information about people, including media people, who had made freedom-of-information requests of the agency has put a spotlight on the flaws inherent in the disputed new bills. With the regular Diet session approaching an end in late June, the fate of the controversial bills appears increasingly uncertain.
Media Symposium Jointly Hosted By NSK, China Information Office
Nihon Shinbun Kyokai and the Information Office of China's State Council jointly organized a symposium on Japanese and Chinese media on May 13 to mark the 30th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral relations. About 120 media people and researchers took part under the main theme of "The Position and Role of the Media in Japan-China Relations in the New Century." After the keynote speeches, the symposium split into two subgroups for discussions.
Takuhiko Tsuruta, the president of Nikkei Shimbun Inc. and vice chairman of the Japanese Executive Committee for the 2002 Year of Japan and Year of China, delivered an address at the opening ceremony. Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Dawei also made opening remarks.
Tsuruta noted that the gathering represented what was likely the largest ever gathering of media people and researchers in the long history of Japan-China relations. He said that the time is right to examine the role of the media for the betterment of bilateral relations.
Ambassador Wu said that the media has been playing an extremely important role in developing China-Japan relations. He said that although the value systems and general environment for the media differ between the two countries, the media industries could contribute to fostering new friendly ties by fully recognizing their own historical responsibilities.
Following the opening addresses, Zhao Qizheng, the director of the Information Office of China's State Council, and Kiyoshi Takai, a professor in the International Public Relations and Media Research Division of Hokkaido University, delivered keynote reports.
Speaking on theme of "The Internet -- A New Route for China-Japan Exchanges," Zhao discussed the status quo of the Chinese government's policy measures and the Web sites operated by Chinese media organizations. He said that Chinese media organizations are working to release information in Japanese via Web sites and that such sites are drawing a considerable number of readers. In addition to TV programs and published articles, he said the delivery of information about Japan through Web sites would help to narrow the distance between China and Japan.
Asked by a participant to comment on the incident in which five North Korean asylum-seekers were taken by Chinese police from the compound of the Japanese Consulate General in Shenyang, Zhao said that the facts of the case would be revealed in the course of ongoing investigations by the two counties, but he added that it is important to make an analysis of the role of the media in such a case. He said a positive delivery of the news, various comments and facts by the media would produce mutual stimulation among the media, the general public and government. He said he expected the media to make a fair judgment in such incidents.
Takai's keynote report, "The Role of Media in Japan-China Relations -- A Focus on Printed Media," stressed that the media of the two countries should play an important role in promoting consensus-building and mutual understanding. Of the various types of media, he said that newspapers should play a particularly large role. Takai noted the tendency of the Japanese media's reporting on China to sometimes be one-sided, and the corresponding treatment of Japan by the Chinese media. He said such tendencies make the media fail to meet the goal of accurately reporting the actual situation. He said it is necessary to be constantly conscious of how one reports about the total picture.
Asked how the media should report about the difference in historical perspectives in the two countries, Takai said it is important that news reporting deals with issues from diverse angles that reflect reality, noting that sharing common information between the two countries would help to build mutual trust.
Digital Photojournalism Exhibition at Newspark
A special exhibition on "Digital Photo Journalism" opened at the Japan Newspaper Museum (or Newspark) in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, on May 28. The photos on the theme of "What Is Changing and What Has Remained Unchanged," reveal big changes in the job of news cameramen in line with the transition to digital technologies, demonstrating both the challenge faced by news cameramen and the inner nature of photojournalism.
Visitors enter the exhibition through a classical darkroom, a symbol of newspaper photo divisions in the days of film. The darkroom at the site was once located at the Asahi Shimbun's West Japan Headquarters in Kokura City, Fukuoka Prefecture.
After passing through the darkroom, visitors enter an exhibition that is rich in artifacts. The items include about 400 pieces of equipment and other gear used by cameramen in the film and digital eras, as well as old electrographs and modern digital cameras(above photo).
A monitor at the exhibition site displays images of news cameramen reporting from this year's Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
Ken Aso is an editor in the photo section of the image information center at the Asahi Shimbun's Tokyo Headquarters. He is also a representative of the Digital Photojournalism Study Group, which prepared the exhibition. Aso said that the exhibition offers an appropriate opportunity to show how the job of the news cameramen has been affected by digitalization. "Digitalization should be a step forward to ensure a bright future for newspaper photography. But in reality, our workload has increased due to the pressure for greater speed and lower costs, causing us many problems," Aso said.
The special photojournalism exhibition will run through July 28.
World Cup Fever Rocks Japanese Archipelago
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The 2002 World Cup finals started in South Korea and Japan on May 31. By June 10, half of the total of 64 matches had been played.
Japanese newspapers have been giving top billing to the event, allocating it lots of space every day. Some papers are issuing extra editions about key games.
The match between Japan and Belgium at Saitama Stadium was broadcast live by NHK on June 4, registering a viewer rate of 43.1 percent for the first half, and soaring to 58.8 percent in the second half. The Asahi, Mainichi, Yomiuri, Sports Nippon and Nikkan Sports all issued extras to report Japan's 1-1 tie with Belgium.
In addition to issuing conventional newsprint extras, the Asahi also set up what it calls Asahi News Squares in 10 cities hosting World Cup matches, as well as in Tokyo, Nagoya and Fukuoka. It is using the special news stands to distribute extras printed from the electronic PDF format. Likewise, the Mainichi distributed 10,000 copies of its extras at and around key railway terminal stations in Tokyo. The Yomiuri distributed 48,600 extras in Tokyo, 15,000 in Osaka, and 30,000 each in Nagoya and Hokkaido, for a total of 69,600. It also distributed breaking-news extras around match venues. Sports Nippon handed out 80,000 extras in the Tokyo Metropolitan area and Sapporo. Nikkan Sports distributed 30,000 extras.
Regional newspapers in the 10 Japanese local areas providing venues for World Cup matches installed high-speed color laser printers at newspaper sales shops near the stadiums to produce large numbers of extras prior to and after the matches.
Each of the 13 Asahi News Squares set up by official World Cup 2002 sponsor Asahi Shimbun is equipped with monitors to provide information on the progress and results of the matches in both pictures and text. PC terminals connected to Asahi's Web site allow visitors to check the latest developments in key matches. Asahi is also holding 2002 FIFA World Cup photo exhibitions in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Kokura to display photos of the previous day's matches.
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Topics.......Topics.......Topics........
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Mainichi Shimbun Sets Up IT Research Unit
The Mainichi Shimbun on May 1 set up a research arm called the Mainichi Incubation Center (MIC) within its Comprehensive Media Project Department. The new research center is to promote research on information and communications technologies in cooperation with universities and other research institutes, as well as to assist in the commercial application of research results.
For the time being, MIC is to focus on research and development related to network technologies for high-speed Internet broadband connections and management technologies for multimedia documents such as text and image files. The research unit is to assist in the management of patents and other forms of intellectual property rights, as well as participating in efforts to commercialize related research outcomes. MIC has already concluded R&D cooperation agreements with Doshisha, Waseda, Kyoto Seika and Tama Art and Konan universities, along with the NTT Cyber Solution Research Institute.
MIC is to open by June what is tentatively to be named the Mainichi IT Exchange Plaza on the second floor of the Mainichi Shimbun's Waseda Annex building, next to the campus of the School of Science and Engineering at Waseda University. The IT Exchange Plaza is fully equipped with high-speed Internet connections and will be open for free use by researchers and students to help promote innovation in new technologies.
San-In Chuo Shimpo Sets Up Ombudsman Committee
San-In Chuo Shimpo Newspaper Co., the publisher of a local daily newspaper in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture, on May 1 set up what it calls a "News Reporting and Readers" Committee to help the newspaper avoid any violations of privacy or human rights. The panel comprises three outside experts.
Viewing things from the perspective of outsiders, the panel members are to examine the newspaper's news reporting on matters related to human rights and privacy protection, the manner of its news reporting, and its responses to opinions or complaints from readers. The panel members are also to issue recommendations about the newspaper's articles and their recommendations are to be fully respected and reflected in the way that the newspaper is produced. The panel will generally meet twice a year, and the minutes of its discussions and opinions will be published in the newspaper. The panel members are appointed for two-year renewable terms. The panel is due to meet for its first time in late June.
Tetsuo Ando, the chief of the customer service office at the editorial department who is also in charge of the panel's secretariat, said the attitudes of newspaper people need to change in response to growing public criticism of the mass media. He said that the creation of the "News Reporting and Readers" Committee will lead to the production of a newspaper that pays more attention to protecting human rights.
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San-In Chuo Shimpo Newspaper Co. is based in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture, where it publishes daily morning newspaper with a circulation of about 170,000.
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Statute of Limitations Expires for 1987 Asahi Shimbun Killing
The 15-year statute of limitations expired at midnight on May 3 in the case in which a suspected rightwing extremist armed with a shotgun entered the Asahi Shimbun's Hanshin bureau and fatally shot reporter Tomohiro Kojiri, 29. Fellow reporter Hyoe Inukai, who is now 57, was seriously wounded in the attack.
The statute of limitations for a series of attacks on newspaper-related facilities has still not expired for a March 1988 attack on the Asahi's Shizuoka bureau in central Japan. A time bomb was placed in the bureau's parking lot on that date.
Commenting on the expiration of the statute of limitations for the Hanshin bureau shootings case, the Asahi Shimbun issued a statement of regret, saying that it will continue its efforts to unveil the facts behind the attack. "It is more than obvious that the series of attacks on us was a hopeless effort to negate the postwar democracy and to retrace the passage of time through recourse to violence and intimidation," the statement said.
"Immediately after the shootings, Nihon Shinbun Kyokai issued a statement calling for renewed efforts to safeguard democracy and freedom and to accomplish our mission as newspapers and broadcasters. The Asahi Shimbun's position remains the same as it was when NSK issued that statement," said an Asahi statement issued by Masao Kimiwada, an executive managing director in charge of editorial affairs.
Asahi Shimbun President Shinichi Hakoshima, who visited the slain reporter's grave in Kawajiri, Hiroshima Prefecture, on May 3, said the expiration of the statute of limitations renewed his indignation against the crime. "There are no words to describe how disappointed Mr. Kojiri would be. I continue to be indignant about the attack, which was evidently aimed at oppressing the freedom of speech through the use of violence. In order that Kojiri's death not be in vain, we will never give in to threats. That's the responsibility of those involved in news reporting," he said.
Prime Minister's New Official Residence Opens
The new Prime Minister's Official Residence building has been completed and went into full operation on May 7. The old structure was built 73 years ago.
The five-story official residence has one basement level and a total floor space of 25,000 square meters. Including the cost of various new equipment intended to strengthen crisis-management functions, the facility cost about 64.7 billion yen. Under the pretext of security precautions, however, news-reporting activities inside the structure are subject to stricter regulations.
News access to the prime minister on the fifth floor, which houses the executive office, is generally banned.
The press club at the prime minister's official residence has unsuccessfully sought permission for reporters to be allowed access to the fifth floor. In response, officials installed a monitoring camera in the corridor in front of the executive office so that beat reporters can watch the movement of people in and out of that room on a TV monitor in the media room on the third floor.
Beat reporters are no longer allowed to confirm in person who enters the prime minister's executive room, despite having been allowed access to the corridor in front of the prime minister's executive suite in the old building.
Yomiuri Shimbun Introduces Holding-Company System
An extraordinary meeting of Yomiuri Shimbun shareholders on May 28 officially decided to set up the Yomiuri Shimbun Group Head Office as a share-holder company, starting on July 1. Under Japan's new holding-company system, Yomiuri's key group companies will all function under the share-holder company.
The Yomiuri Group now comprises Yomiuri Shimbun Co. (the so-called Tokyo Head Company), Osaka Yomiuri Shimbun Co. (Osaka Head Company) and Yomiuri Co. (West Japan Head Company, which operates the Central Japan Head Company and the professional baseball club the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants).
Under the new plan, these three companies will be reorganized into five entities -- Yomiuri Shimbun Tokyo Head Company, Yomiuri Shimbun Osaka Head Company, Yomiuri Shimbun West Japan Head Company, Chuo Koron Shinsha Co. and Yomiuri Giants Co. All five entities will function under the holding company, which is to be named the Yomiuri Shimbun Group Head Company.
The Yomiuri aims to enhance management efficiency by separating the holding company, which handles management strategies for the entire group, from each business corporation.
Yomiuri Shimbun President and Editor-in-Chief Tsuneo Watanabe will be appointed president of the holding company, while Yomiuri Shimbun Vice President Hitoshi Uchiyama will be appointed president of the Yomiuri Shimbun Tokyo Head Company.
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Story of The Month>>>
NSK Advertising Committee Issues Media-Contact Survey Results
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NSK's Advertising Committee has released the results of its annual survey on media contact and evaluation for 2001, which was conducted in October of last year on a survey sample of 6,000 men and women nationwide. The survey monitors people's contact with four categories of conventional media -- newspapers, television, radio and magazines -- and the Internet, in this multi-media age. It is specifically designed to assess the role of newspapers and newspaper advertising.
The latest survey found that 94.1 percent of the respondents had regular contact with newspapers, while 99.6 percent had contact with television (see Chart I). Of the five categories of media covered by the survey, the contact rate was more than 90 percent for newspapers and television. The average number of contacts per week was 5.8 days for newspapers and 6.7 days for television (see Chart II), confirming that newspapers and television lead the five media categories in contact rates.
With respect to reader/viewer impressions or evaluations (see Table I), newspapers are highly rated for "being an indispensable source of information," "providing detailed coverage of community and local news," "having great influence on society," having "intellectual" aspects and "being a valuable form of media in keeping people in contact with society." In all, the respondents viewed newspapers as a form of media deeply rooted in society and people's daily lives.
As for television, the survey found that respondents' general impressions differed for the public broadcaster NHK and commercial broadcasters. Many respondents said they saw commercial TV as being "enjoyable" and "cozy," while they credited NHK for its "accuracy of information" and "reliability of information and contents." The Internet got high credit for "being ahead of the times" and "providing an abundant volume of information."
An analysis of the overall evaluation shows that the respondents saw newspapers as a source of information that deserves high acclaim for its social nature -- an evaluation similar to that given to NHK, whereas the overall evaluation of commercial TV broadcasters as being "convenient" and "enjoyable," is similar to the opinions expressed about radio.
When assessed as a tool for advertising, many respondents gave high marks to TV commercials as being "fun," "cozy" and "impressive" -- an evaluation that involved the viewers' emotions. On the other hand, high credit was given to newspaper advertisements as being reliable, accurate and fair, suggesting that newspapers are best suited to advertising that appeals to reason.
Other findings of the survey include:
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average contact with newspapers was 26.0 minutes per day (weekdays, morning editions); |
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average daily contact with other media was 3.44 hours for television, 1.59 hours for radio, 29.3 minutes for magazines and 54.0 minutes for the Internet; |
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many people read morning newspaper editions even at night; |
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65.9 percent of the respondents have stayed with particular newspapers for more than 10 years of continued subscription, while the average duration of newspaper subscriptions stands at 11.5 years; |
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46.2 percent kept copies of newspapers for more than one week so that they can read them anytime they want, while the average time that papers are kept stood at 6.2 days; |
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32.5 percent of the respondents sometimes saw the same newspaper advertisements many times. |
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| (Note) |
Average figures are calculated using a denominator obtained by subtracting the number of respondents with no answer from the total number of respondents, or 3,843. |
| Table I: Impression and Evaluation of Each Media Category |
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(%) |
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Indispensable as source of information
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61.0 |
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Detailed coverage of community and local news
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56.0 |
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Influence on society |
54.9 |
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Intellectual |
50.4 |
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Necessary to keep in touch as a member of society
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50.3 |
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(Television - Commercial Broadcasters)
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Cozy |
69.4 |
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Enjoyable |
66.2 |
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Convenient |
55.6 |
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Influence on society |
49.3 |
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Easy to understand |
46.0 |
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| (Television - NHK) |
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Accuracy of information |
58.1 |
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Reliability of information, contents
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55.0 |
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Influence on society
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52.6 |
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Quick delivery of information |
50.6 |
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Intellectual
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48.9 |
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| (Radio) |
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Cheap |
34.6 |
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Convenient |
33.6 |
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Cozy |
32.0 |
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Enjoyable |
24.5 |
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Quick delivery of information |
22.7 |
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| (Magazines) |
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Enjoyable |
34.2 |
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Nasty |
33.5 |
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Cozy |
32.8 |
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Convenient |
26.5 |
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Memorable |
22.6 |
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| (Internet) |
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Ahead of the times |
44.8 |
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Abundant volume of information |
42.3 |
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Quick delivery of information |
39.3 |
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Useful for work |
28.2 |
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Professional |
27.1 |
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Nihon Shinbun Kyokai
The Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association
Nippon Press Center Bldg., 2-2-1 Uchisaiwai-cho, Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo100-8543, Japan
bulletin@pressnet.or.jp.
Copyright 2002 Nihon Shinbun Kyokai
All right reserved
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