Accusing Foreign Media

Not only being aggressive to domestic news media that were critical against current leadership, Shinzo Abe administration started accusing foreign media, ignoring the principle of freedom of speech. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, Hiroshige Seko, denounced South Korean daily newspaper, Donga Ilbo, as harming bilateral relationship between Japan and South Korea, which both governments had been making effort to improve.

Donga Ilbo reported about a reception for cerebrating birthday of Japanese Emperor held in Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Thursday. The newspaper raised a headline of “Cerebration for Japanese Emperor in the Center of Seoul.” The article was appeared in the morning of the reception. It described frequent argument on the annual ceremony in the past, quoting criticisms against Korean major company donated great wreath in 2010. Donga also critically reported cerebration of 60^th anniversary of Japanese Self-defense Force in July.

Although it was unclear whether stimulated by the article, South Korean anti-Japan activists protested in front of the hotel the reception held. “Japanese Embassy need to get back to Japan,” they chanted. Without any relationship to the event, some of them required apology of the bureau chief of Sankei Shimbun, who ran a report of scandal of South Korean Preseident, Park Geun-hye.

Japanese Embassy in Seoul objected Donga. “It was a problem that a news report was run against efforts in many channels to improve Japan-South Korea relationship,” the Embassy described, “and it was regretful that the report was made in spite of our protest against the report of 60^th anniversary of Japanese Self-defense Force.” Seko’s comment was mostly along the line of the statement of the Embassy.

However, Seko made two basic mistakes in his announcement. Firstly, Abe administration has not made a serious effort to improve the bilateral relationship with South Korea. It has been neglecting the involvement of Japanese government in recruiting comfort women so much that public eyes were shifted from the fact of actual existence of comfort women. That attitude has been inviting strong resentment of South Korean people. Secondly, accusing foreign newspaper of its domestic report is not something a senior member of Japanese administration would do.

Accusing Donga Ilbo does not contribute improving the bilateral relationship at all. If the government really want to rebuild credibility in the relationship, Prime Minister need to unequivocally pay respect to the South Koreans as an independent nation.