Stalemate of Asahi Bashing

Having apologized on wrong articles about comfort woman and testimony of former director of First Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, Asahi Shimbun still is the target of some people frustrated with mass communication. Excessive accusation has emerged as terrorism on professors who formerly a writer of Asahi. Critics are getting aware of danger of democracy.

In mid-September, Tezukayama Gakuin University received a letter threatening with indication of injuring students, if it would not fire a professor who covered comfort woman story when he was a writer of Asahi. The professor stepped down after the threat. Same kind of two letters arrived at Hokkai Gakuen University in May and July, requiring resignation of another professor formerly worked for Asahi. It is a clear symptom of terrorism that recipient of message and actual target is different.

Not only Asahi, conservative Sankei Shimbun accused them as terrorism in its editorial. “A series of coverage of Asahi on comfort woman issue harmed dignity and national interest of Japan and the Japanese. However, it is different from that to oppress freedom of speech with violence or pressure,” wrote the article. Yomiuri, prominent rival of Asahi, raised an argument against excessive aggression on Asahi writers and their families on internet. It warned that the word “kill” would lead to menace or “planted a bomb” might be a disturbance of businesss.

Government officeials, including Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, do not stop criticizing Asahi. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, Hiroshige Seko, required Asahi to explain the apology to the world. “The reports caused misunderstanding in overseas. I want Asahi to explain the details to overseas,” told Seko. Well, do not forget that it is Abe who spread misunderstandings on comfort woman issue.

Weekly Gendai magazine introduced a number of voices of foreign countries. It indicated that Asahi bashing had been led by Abe and the aggression on freedom speech was similar to the time of Nazi Germany. Gendai quoted a comment of Tokyo correspondent, Martin Fackler, that “Wrong article does not deny the problem of comfort woman. I see a distance between consistent accusers of Asahi and the world.”

Media is getting aware of upsurge of criticisms not only on Asahi, but on media as a whole. On its background, there is a view that media has already been on the side of establishment. It is not rare in Japanese society that a newspaper writer gets a job in a university after retiring. As long as those criticisms come up from social separation, Abe’s agenda to reestablish old establishment is ongoing with victimization of freedom of speech.