A December 2010 essay criticizing Tokyo-centric media arrogance toward Osaka. Argues that Osaka’s urban planning, global companies, and Kansai’s cultural heritage far surpass the shallow portrayal of comedians. Highlights Kyoto’s unmatched tourism ratio and calls for respect toward Osaka and Kansai.

An essay from December 4, 2010. The author expresses his anger at media coverage of Osaka and the Kansai region. Following the failed World Cup bid, he supports Osaka Governor Toru Hashimoto’s opposition to building a soccer stadium in the “Kita-Yard” but argues that he should return to the original urban plan. The author fiercely refutes a Shukan Shincho article that called Osaka the “poorest city in the world,” criticizing the Tokyo-based media for underestimating Osaka and reducing the entire city to a handful of entertainers. He uses statistics and facts to verify the historical and economic power of Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and Nara, condemning the media’s arrogance.

Don’t Look Down on Osaka — The True Value of Kansai and a Critique of the Media
December 4, 2010

The other night, just past midnight, a friend called me, staying up worried about the World Cup.
I told him not to worry — Japan had zero chance of being chosen. He soon succumbed to sleep anyway.

Now, Osaka Governor Hashimoto has taken this as an opportunity to declare his opposition to building a soccer stadium in the North Yard. This was prominently reported in yesterday’s evening edition of the Asahi Shimbun.

That stance is only natural, as I have long pointed out. Still, Hashimoto is a little off the mark. There is no need to turn it into a forest. For over twenty years, a unique urban plan has been developed, with water and greenery as its theme, unlike anything before. The task is simply to implement the plan as it was painstakingly created, drawing on the wisdom of Osaka’s public and private sectors through repeated deliberations.

The second phase should also be sold off through transparent public auctions to recover as much as possible of the 30 trillion yen in national debt still being shouldered by taxpayers. By inviting the world’s leading companies into this rare site, Osaka will gain fixed property tax revenues and, in turn, revitalize not only Osaka but all of Kansai, Shikoku, and Kyushu.

Meanwhile, Tokyoites — while secretly despising and looking down on Kansai — exploit Osaka entertainers for ratings. They demean Osaka itself, as if the city were nothing more than these comedians, who are often too shallow to represent its essence.

Just read this week’s Shukan Shincho and the New York Times feature that labeled Osaka the “world’s poorest city.” Tokyo residents, puffed up with arrogance simply for living in the capital, scorn Osaka while exploiting its culture. Such media behavior is beyond disgrace.

Osaka is not built upon a handful of comedians used for television ratings. Nor do the media seem to notice that their Tokyo-centric concentration is ruining the entire nation. Compare Osaka’s GDP and population with those of advanced countries, and examine how many world-leading companies originate from Osaka.

Consider Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara — the history and present reality of these cities. In particular, compare Kyoto’s annual tourist numbers with France, the world’s top tourist destination. With Kyoto’s 1.5 million residents hosting nearly as many visitors in proportion as France’s 77 million citizens, it becomes clear that Kyoto is in fact the world’s premier city.

Journalists of Shukan Shincho, learn from this. Do not look down on Osaka. Just because you group it together with Yoshimoto entertainers does not mean Osaka — or Kansai — should be dismissed along with them.