Published on September 18, 2019.
This essay examines Wikipedia’s description of Shukan Kinyobi, including its founding background, inheritance of the Asahi Journal’s ideological current, editorial stance on constitutional pacifism, antiwar activism, human rights, environmental issues, abolition of the imperial system, and changes in its editorial board, while criticizing the magazine’s ideological character, including Shin Sugok’s participation as an editorial board member.

September 18, 2019.
In 2000, Shin Sugok joined the editorial board.
＊This was the item that especially astonished me.＊
The following is from Wikipedia.
Emphasis in the text is mine.
Kinyobi, commonly known as Shukan Kinyobi, is a weekly magazine published by Kinyobi Co., Ltd., mainly dealing with political, social, and environmental issues.
It was founded with the aim of creating “journalism that can speak from the citizens’ standpoint without flattering sponsors or advertisers, journalism that can monitor power and speak out,” and also as something that would inherit the ideological current of the discontinued Asahi Journal.
It proclaims itself to be “Japan’s only hard-hitting general weekly magazine without taboos,” and mainly deals with criticism of the system and support for citizens’ movements and civic activities, such as antiwar, human-rights, and environmental issues.
Recent special features include “The True Nature of Dentsu,” which approaches taboos in the television and newspaper industries, and “The True Nature of Toyota,” which approaches manufacturer taboos.
In debates over constitutional revision, it has consistently taken the position of defending the constitution.
The person who named the magazine was Kuno Osamu.
The name is derived from the weekly Doyobi, Saturday, published before the war, from 1936 to 1937, by Kuno, Nakai Masakazu, and others, and from Vendredi, Friday, a magazine of the French Popular Front.
Omission.
The number of regular subscriptions, which was 53,000 at the time of the magazine’s founding, is now 13,000.
Omission.
As stated above, because it takes the position of defending the constitution, it is critical of constitutional revision issues, and there are also many articles critical of economic sanctions against North Korea.
Omission.
In addition, editorials from the standpoint of abolishing the imperial system are often seen, and not only conservatives but also leftists favorable to the emperor, and even the words and actions of the emperor and imperial family themselves, are often made targets of criticism.
From July to October 1993, as preparatory issues for its founding, it published a monthly magazine under the name Gekkan Kinyobi.
The editorial board members were Ishimure Michiko, Inoue Hisashi, Kuno Osamu, Chikushi Tetsuya, and Honda Katsuichi.
Gekkan Kinyobi was published for a total of four issues, from the July issue to the October issue.
The first editor-in-chief and publisher was Watada Susumu.
In November 1993, it was founded.
From the first issue, Shiina Makoto joined the editorial board.
From 1994 to 1995, due to Watada’s sudden resignation following an internal company scandal, Honda took over as editor-in-chief and publisher.
After this, Ishimure and Inoue resigned as editorial board members.
According to Honda’s editorial postscript, Ishimure had originally accepted the position of editorial board member on the promise that she would help only at the initial stage of Kinyobi’s founding.
In contrast, Inoue, whether or not because of a conflict over editorial direction is unclear, almost ceased appearing in the magazine after Honda became editor-in-chief.
After that, Sataka Makoto and Ochiai Keiko joined the editorial board.
From 1995 to 1997, Honda was editor-in-chief.
In 1996, Matsuo Nobuyuki joined the company as deputy editor-in-chief, desk editor.
From 1997 to 2001, Matsuo Nobuyuki was editor-in-chief.
In 2001, the editor-in-chief changed from Matsuo to Kurokawa Nobuyuki, who had been desk editor.
The publisher changed from Honda to Kurokawa.
In 1999, Kuno Osamu died.
In 2000, Shin Sugok joined the editorial board.
＊This was the item that especially astonished me.＊
From 2000 to 2002, the editor-in-chief changed to Okada Kanji, a former Asahi Shimbun employee.
An expression in an article concerning homosexuals became the subject of controversy in the magazine, and Shin resigned as an editorial board member.
In 2004, the editor-in-chief changed from Okada to Kitamura Hajime, former editor-in-chief of Sunday Mainichi.
In 2005, Ishizaka Kei joined the editorial board.
Also, in connection with the matter of an outside writer having plagiarized articles distributed by Jiji Press and Kyodo News, the magazine apologized in writing to both companies on October 4 of that year.
Kurokawa retired as publisher after completing two terms, six years, in accordance with the company policy not allowing a third consecutive term.
Sataka succeeded him.
In December 2007, Shiina Makoto resigned as an editorial board member.
Amamiya Karin joined the editorial board.
In November 2008, Chikushi Tetsuya died.
In January 2009, Utsunomiya Kenji, Nakajima Takeshi, and Tanaka Yuko joined the editorial board.
In October 2010, Sataka retired as publisher, and Kitamura became the new publisher.
The former deputy editor-in-chief, Hirai Yasushi, served as editor-in-chief until October 2016.
From November 2016, Kobayashi Kazuko became editor-in-chief.
The publisher remained Kitamura.