This chapter critiques the phrase “flexible nationalism” as presented on News 23, arguing that it merely repackages the long-standing ideological framework of Asahi Shimbun and warns viewers against uncritical consumption of such narratives.

2016-03-29
Last night, when I switched channels to News 23, I found that Hiroshi Hoshi had become the anchor under the program’s new lineup.
At first glance, it gave the impression that things might have improved compared to before, but when Hoshi displayed the phrase “flexible nationalism” on the screen as a signature comment, mimicking the old style of Tetsuya Chikushi, I immediately thought, ah, nothing has changed at all.
What Hoshi is trying to say becomes clear when one considers his background: Fukushima High School, the University of Tokyo, and then joining Asahi Shimbun, where he worked in the political desk for thirty years.
In other words, he is a man whose body and soul are steeped in Asahi Shimbun’s ideology, who stood at its core and reigned as one of its most powerful reporters.
That he played a central role in elevating Naoto Kan to the position of prime minister is something well known to anyone who once subscribed to Asahi.
He now claims that the pattern of behavior whereby Asahi’s ideology damaged Japan’s credibility and honor, disseminated anti-Japan propaganda handed over by China’s one-party dictatorship as major scoops, casually promoted the fabrication of the so-called Nanjing Massacre of 300,000 victims, rewrote history, and led the charge to funnel an astronomical 30 trillion yen in ODA from Japanese taxpayers to China, constitutes “flexible nationalism.”
I say this to the Japanese state and to the Japanese people.
To watch this program seriously is to demonstrate that one’s intellect is no more advanced than that of a kindergarten child.
To be continued.