Through cases involving political donations, reporting on Korean-affiliated companies, and name issues, this essay examines Asahi Shimbun’s double standards, arguing that by concealing facts and altering principles for convenience it epitomizes a “fake newspaper in an age of fakes.”

2016-05-28

◎Preface: The Proof Is Already Complete

In this passage, all readers should think the same thing: that my argument is perfectly proven by the splendid essay of the one and only journalist in the world.

◎Continuation from the Previous Chapter

The following continues from the previous chapter.
Emphasis in the text is mine.

◎A Fake Newspaper in an Age of Fakes

For the people of Chiba Prefecture, they would naturally want to know the true identity of the organization that has been finding fault with the governor whom they all took the trouble to elect.
Why does Asahi hide it?
Governor Morita has in fact received yet another accusation from this Social Democratic Party–related organization.
It was on suspicion of “receiving political donations from foreigners,” specifically that he had received donations from Takao Yasuda, the president of “Don Quijote.”
If it were from pachinko parlors that are 95 percent foreign-owned, that would be one thing, but ordinary people do not know that “Don Quijote” was operated by a Zainichi-affiliated management.
Come to think of it, this company in the past had incidents such as three people dying in an arson attack, or defying improvement orders from the fire department.
There was something unusual about it, but at that time Asahi did not report that it was a Zainichi-affiliated company.
Yoshikazu Tsunoda, formerly of the Social Democratic Party, had received money from enterprises affiliated with Chongryon.
When that was exposed, he resigned as Vice President of the House of Councillors.
Whether a company is Zainichi-affiliated is important information that can affect a politician’s political life.
Then one day, a Social Democratic Party–related organization that is close to Zainichi circles reveals, “That company is in fact Zainichi.”
When Asahi receives this and writes “Zainichi-affiliated company Don Quijote” as if it were common knowledge, something does not sit right.
Does Asahi know nothing about the Zainichi world? Quite the contrary: for example, when a Zainichi pastor in Kyoto who repeatedly assaulted female believers was reported by all newspapers under his Korean name, Asahi alone went out of its way to report him under a Japanese name that no one knew.
This newspaper is still negative about Japan’s rule over Korea.
Even in a recent readers’ letters column, it featured the claim that “taking away Korean names through the name-change policy was the greatest humiliation to an ethnic group.”
While concealing the fact that Koreans changed their names out of admiration for Japan and portraying Japan as brutal, the paper arbitrarily has Koreans use Japanese names in its pages.
Is that not itself “humiliation”?
In a recent column, Wakamiya Yoshifumi invoked “the age of fakes” to discuss fake meat at Meat Hope and Ichiro Ozawa.
It is a good metaphor for a foolish former chief editorial writer, but when you think about it, is Asahi not precisely a fake newspaper in an age of fakes—one that does not convey facts and changes its principles according to convenience?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　(May 7 & 14, 2009 Issue)