This essay criticizes the structural problems of Japan’s media environment, examining the influence of foreign correspondents, major newspapers, and external political pressures on public discourse.
It explores how media narratives and political reporting shape public opinion and expose vulnerabilities within Japan’s information sphere.

2019-01-05

It is already beyond dispute that the strange figures within the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, including these Italian reporters, are being manipulated by the Asahi Shimbun and by intelligence agencies of China and the Korean Peninsula.
The day before yesterday, a chapter I published on 2018-08-06 titled “NHK Commentator Noriyuki Mizuno even criticized that China and North Korea explicitly named Japan when pointing out the possibility of nuclear development” ranked 45th in goo’s top 50 searches.
The moment I saw this, I understood.
Two nights ago from 23:00, there was a two-hour NHK special featuring all its commentators.
Those with discernment who watched the program sensed Mizuno’s suspicious nature—nothing less than an agent of China—and searched for my opening chapter.
Or perhaps they searched his name and my chapter appeared.
Among those who watched the program, all perceptive viewers must have thought the same.
They were witnessing the communist conviction that if five percent sympathizers are created within a target organization, that organization can be completely controlled.
Of course, it goes without saying that there are also sincere individuals who love Japan and devote themselves to their work.
Yet regardless, people of such limited caliber are effectively shaping Japan’s public opinion as if NHK were a state broadcaster at their disposal.
They criticize policies crafted by elected politicians—especially those entrusted with governance—while, as proven by the Moritomo and Kake scandals, spreading fake reporting that disrupts governance, stalls the state, and weakens Japan’s national power.
Not only their wrongdoing but also the folly and vulnerability of Japan as a state have reached an extreme.
Until August four years ago, pseudo-moralism dominated Japan’s media.
Because this pseudo-moralism was precisely the target of propaganda by one-party communist states and Nazi-like regimes, such folly was allowed to flourish.
Thus Japan passed Heisei 30 as an era of defeat, losing economic growth to one-third of that of the United States and weakening its national strength.
As previously noted, the one who initiated this trend was Atsushi Yamada, then an economic reporter at the Asahi Shimbun.
What I truly cannot forgive is that this man has shown not the slightest sign of reflection.
On a program of Asamade Nama TV that I happened to watch, he displayed an arrogance beyond measure and even intimidated a Liberal Democratic Party politician.
At venues such as government press conferences, he continues to behave as if he were a grand elder of Japan’s press club, introducing himself as journalist Yamada.
Recently, Takashi Uemura sued Yoshiko Sakurai in anger, and he of course lost completely.
Yet for some reason the Foreign Correspondents’ Club invited the two and held a press conference.
From the content of the Q&A, it is clear that the mastermind behind that conference was Atsushi Yamada and the Asahi Shimbun.
As for the disgraceful conduct of the Italian reporter at that conference,
I, who love Italy more than anyone, wrote in Italian addressed to Italy: recall this disgrace to Italy immediately.
There can no longer be any doubt that the strange figures within the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, including these Italians, are being manipulated by the Asahi Shimbun and by intelligence agencies of China and the Korean Peninsula.