I was appointed chairman of the Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association (NSK) at an extraordinary assembly of the NSK members. On behalf of NSK, I must apologize for our two-month lack of a chairman after the resignation of former NSK Chairman Shinichi Hakoshima. At the same time, I pledge to devote my body and soul to the task of squarely addressing the difficult challenges facing the newspaper industry.

Today, we face a wave of crises for the newspaper industry, internally and externally.

First, I must refer to an external crisis. Last November, Japan's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it would reconsider the so-called “specified designations” rules for five industries, including the newspaper industry, in the aim of filing recommendations for changes by this June. Prompted by the FTC move, NSK has strongly demanded the maintenance of the current system, arguing that the resale price maintenance system for newspapers is inseparable from the “specified designations” protections.

Newspapers are a leading element of the print media, promoting a media culture essential to the sound development of democracy. This framework is supported by the resale price maintenance system and the “specified designations” rules that ensure stability. NSK has set up a taskforce on the specified designations issue under its select committee related to resale prices. We will press the FTC to cancel its reconsideration of “specified designations.”

Next, I must refer to an internal crisis.

We have lately witnessed repeated misconduct that has damaged public faith in journalism, including the scandal that led my predecessor to resign over a reporter's fake articles during the elections. At stake are the fundamentals of news reporting and the ethics of reporters.

The newspaper is a pillar of democratic society and serves as a measure of its development. An NSK readership survey in 2005 found that an increasing number of middle-aged and elderly people were opting not to subscribe to newspapers. For the first time ever, the proportion of non-subscribers surpassed 10 percent, and there was a conspicuous increase in the number of women respondents who did not subscribe to any newspaper.

The overall increase in non-subscribing readers appears to be linked to not only the business climate, but also to increased use of Web sites, mobile phones and other personal digital assistances (PDAs) to get information. The survey said that the number of respondents getting information via portable information devices had doubled since the 1999 survey.

But the survey also said newspapers were ranked highest for reliability by a slightly larger number of respondents than in the previous survey. Many respondents see newspapers as more reliable than information obtained from portable information devices. To maintain that reputation, we media people need to refrain from anything that might harm the public or infringe on privacy or human rights. Specifically, we need to end misconduct such as the so-called “media scrum” of excessively aggressive pack reporting that amounts to harassment of subjects and witnesses of the news.

All NSK members are doing more soul-searching as media organizations entrusted with serving the people’s right to know. We are fully committed to educating reporters on how to properly gather the news while instilling ethics that will restore reader confidence. I believe these efforts and the resulting elevation of journalistic ethics will counter the government's moves to more tightly regulate the media through measures such as so-called human rights protection laws. I believe that our efforts can preserve our freedom to gather and report the news.

If we turn our eyes to the outside world, we see rampant terrorism and armed conflicts wasting masses of human lives. In Iraq, conflict continues between ethnic and religious groups despite a new constitution, as the Iraqi people struggle to form a stable government. The Bush Administration is facing harsh criticism of the "legitimacy" of its Iraq war at home and abroad. Japan's deployment of Self-Defense Force troops in Iraq has been extended, but the timing for their withdrawal is already under serious study.

We also face threats of major earthquakes, tsunamis, rainstorms and other natural disasters -- all of intensities beyond recent experience. The menace of a bird-flu epidemic demands urgent preventive preparations. A transnational effort is also needed to address the issue of global warming in order to preserve human health and lives.

In Japan, “structural reform projects” are gaining momentum after the landslide victory by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's ruling coalition in last fall's general elections. With an eye to future international collaboration, changes in industrial structure and the aging society resulting from our low birthrate necessitate a broad public debate on the future of this country. Constitutional changes, tax system revisions and the pension scheme must all be studied. People are also losing confidence in the social safety net due to a spate of violent crimes against children and the unfolding construction fraud scandal over the fabrication of vital earthquake-resistance data for condominiums and hotels. At a time when the country is at a crucial turning point, the media faces obligations that are becoming heavier than ever before.

We are determined to redouble our efforts in the face of these difficult challenges. We are ready to work, in collaboration with all member companies, to meet the readers’ expectations reflected by last year’s Newspaper Week slogan of: “Why? How? We Want to Know More through Newspapers”

In closing this message, I pray for a bright new year and I wish you all the best of health and business success.