Examining Asahi Shimbun’s May 17, 2017 front-page scoop on the Kake Gakuen issue.
What gap existed between headline-driven impressions and the actual content?
A critical reflection on media framing, political narratives, and the structure of perception.

It is difficult to understand why Asahi continues reporting that appears to be image manipulation contrary to the facts.
2018-01-23
The following is a continuation of the previous chapter.
It is difficult to understand why Asahi continues reporting that appears to be image manipulation contrary to the facts.
As a concrete example, let us look at the “scoop” that occupied the top of the front page of the morning edition on May 17, 2017.
The headline, in white letters on a black background, boldly declared: “New Faculty ‘Prime Minister’s Intention.’”
Subheadlines followed: “Kake Gakuen plan — recorded documents in MEXT” and “Cabinet Office urges early response.”
Incidentally, this article has already been reported on in detail by many people, and it also became one of the points of contention in the lawsuit in which Asahi Shimbun sued literary critic Eitaro Ogawa and Asuka Shinsha, seeking 50 million yen each in damages.
The reason for revisiting in this essay an article already known to many is that it is important to understand how far apart the views are between those who, including myself, have criticized Asahi and Asahi itself regarding this article.
The lead of the article reads: “Regarding the plan by the educational corporation ‘Kake Gakuen’ (Okayama City), chaired by an acquaintance of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, to establish a new veterinary faculty in a National Strategic Special Zone, it has been learned that the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology created a document recording statements allegedly made by the Cabinet Office, which oversees the special zones, such as ‘the highest level of the Prime Minister’s Office is saying this’ and ‘we hear it is the Prime Minister’s intention.’”
Anti-Abe malice.
What impression would readers receive from reading this headline and lead?
Would they not form a negative impression that the Prime Minister exercised political power in the establishment of the veterinary faculty at Kake Gakuen and granted favors to a “friend”?
However, what must first be pointed out is that even if Prime Minister Abe had expressed an “intention,” there would have been nothing problematic about it.
As chair of the National Strategic Special Zones Advisory Council, the Prime Minister was attempting to drill holes into the rock-solid mass of vested interests.
Exercising leadership as chair in order to advance regulatory reform is precisely the role required of a Prime Minister.
Therefore, even if the Prime Minister expressed an “intention,” there would be no problem whatsoever.
Yet Asahi placed this article—whose content was that the Prime Minister fulfilled his natural role—at the top of the front page and attached headlines including expressions such as “new faculty” and “Kake Gakuen plan,” while writing the aforementioned lead.
Did this not create the impression that the Prime Minister granted favors to a friend?
Was that in fact Asahi’s aim?
The reason for thinking so is that part of the photograph of the document printed on the front page was obscured in shadow and rendered unreadable.
To be continued.