Alienated Broadcaster

Freedom of speech for the governors of the public broadcaster is eroding the citizen’s right to access information. The Embassy of United States in Tokyo rejected an interview request of Japan Broadcasting Corporation, or NHK, to Ambassador, Caroline Kennedy, as a protest against a weird speech made by a member of the Board of Governors, Naoki Hyakuta. It is highly unusual that the Embassy dismisses a request of interview from media in this kind of reasoning. While it is obvious that remarks of Hyakuta had been excessive and cannot be justified, the act of Embassy may receive criticisms from the viewpoint of democracy.

According to newspaper reports, NHK requested an interview to Ambassador Kennedy right after she arrived Japan last November. When staffs of NHK visited the Embassy earlier this month, an officer in charge of press affairs told them that the Ambassador became unable to accept the offer. The officer confirmed that it was a decision made by the Ambassador and Washington, D.C. The Embassy refused commenting on the issue.

So, what was wrong about Hyakuta? In his speech to support a candidate for the election of Tokyo Metropolitan Governor, Toshio Tamogami, Hyakuta called all other candidates “human garbage.” In addition, to the astonishment of the United States, Hyakuta called Tokyo bombardment and drop of nuclear bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki “tragic massacre,” and contemplated Tokyo War Tribunal as a trial to offset crimes of the U.S. Force. “There was no such things as Nanjing Massacre,” he also appealed.

NHK is operated with universal charge to the recipients. In this context, the Broadcast Act demands NHK to be politically neutral. Hyakuta’s denouncement on opposite candidates would be criticized as being against the provision. Needless to say, his expression was morally improper. Moreover, the Article 31 determines that Prime Minister shall appoint the members of NHK Board of Governors among who makes appropriate decision in terms of public welfare. Many specialists on media relations argue that Hyakuta’s comment exceeded the line.

As was argued, there is mostly no room for Hyakuta’s speech to be justified. However, U.S. Embassy looks to be too excited to deal with this kind of naïve assertion made by a cyber-right freak. The decision against NHK might be paralleled with behavior of Chinese government, which often oppresses journalists because of critical views against the communist regime. It must have been smarter for the Ambassador to unequivocally express her views on history in the interview of NHK.