For Freedom of Press

Japanese media organizations are unusually caring about freedom of press in China. Some newspapers in Japan started criticizing the Chinese government of the censorship and coercion to an influential newspaper, Southern Weekly. Supporting the growing tendency for requiring freedom of press in China, Japan media expect to a change of oppressive attitude of Chinese government against its citizens. However, they should rather be aware of the necessity for protecting their own freedom.

At least two newspapers, Tokyo and Asahi, picked the news from China up in the editorial. They criticized Chinese government and appealed the importance of freedom of speech and press for democracy.

Other papers also vigorously reported the deal between the government of China and Southern Weekly, which had been to carry a government-made editorial of warning Chinese newspapers not to rebel against the government, instead of the one appealing the freedom of speech. Mainichi analyzed that the oppression had a background of power struggle between the conservatives and reformists inside Xi Jinping administration. To deter the uprising of reformists, it argued, the conservatives needed to strictly contain anti-government opinions in newspapers.

In a big country like China, the government needs to keep grips on the press to maintain governance to the people. When it loses control, a huge amount of people may stand against the government and defeat the communist regime. The oppression against the press, sometimes it is exercised on foreign press, was too strict to be ignored by the world. The criticism of Japanese media can be reasonable.

But wait a moment. Is there a sufficient freedom of press in Japan? Although the government of Japan would not coerce a newspaper to carry an editorial article in favor of the government, political leaders and bureaucrats always try to control newspapers and TV stations. Their efforts are ordinarily made by building close and closed relationships with leaders of media.

The Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with the president of Yomiuri over a dinner. He also met with the president of Sankei next evening. Both newspapers are recognized as conservative and being close to Abe in policies such as the constitution amendment. For those reasons or not, both papers hit consecutive scoops in Abe’s choices of ministers in his cabinet last month. It is the concern that maintaining close relationship with top political leaders may let the newspapers down to the publishers of official information. Before criticizing governmental intervention on freedom of press in a neighbor country, media in Japan need to remember their responsibility of reporting what ordinary people would not know unless sincere journalism exists.