The dispute surrounding Ogawa Eitaro’s critique of Asahi Shimbun reporting raised expectations of a major journalistic debate.
Yet by turning to litigation instead of argument, the newspaper may have undermined its own standing as a forum of public discourse, raising broader questions about press freedom and credibility.

I could not help but remain deeply interested in what kind of rebuttal the Asahi would present to this detailed critique.
2018-01-29.
The following is a continuation of the previous chapter.
Mr. Ogawa’s book published last October, A Thorough Examination of the “Moritomo and Kakei Scandals”: The Largest Postwar Media Crime by the Asahi Shimbun (Asuka Shinsha), is an extremely intriguing work.
I found myself unable to stop turning the pages, thinking, “So there was such a perspective,” or “So this was the hidden side.”
I could not help but remain deeply interested in what kind of rebuttal the Asahi would present to this detailed critique.
Whether in sports or in martial arts, a contest fought with all one’s strength is always compelling.
The world of journalism is no different.
Few things could be as exciting as a battle of words between this bestseller and the Asahi.
Yet my hopes were thoroughly betrayed.
As stated at the beginning, the Asahi abandoned the battle of words and moved into litigation in the courtroom.
It left an indescribably unpleasant feeling.
The words of Voltaire came to my mind.
How many people, seeing the Asahi’s reporting on the Moritomo and Kakei issues, thought it was “fair reporting”?
How many felt doubts about its reporting stance?
Exercising the “freedom not to report,” information that ran counter to its own assertions was discarded without hesitation.
Mr. Ogawa’s method of condemning that reporting stance itself was extremely detailed and powerful.
Precisely for that reason, I wanted to witness and read a full-scale clash of arguments between speech and speech.
But that hope was cut off.
Because by this point, the contest had already been decided.
The moment a media institution seeks relief from the judiciary, the Asahi has already “lost.”
By all means, please assemble an excellent legal team backed by abundant funds and win the lawsuit.
Yet for an Asahi that has denied its own identity as a media institution, there is no longer any “tomorrow.”