After North Korea launched a missile into Japan’s exclusive economic zone, Asahi Shimbun published an article that appeared to sympathize with the aggressor. This essay questions whether such reporting can genuinely come from journalists of the targeted nation and exposes a fundamental breakdown in journalistic responsibility.

This article questions the credibility of Japanese media reporting after North Korea fired a missile into Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
By citing an Asahi Shimbun article that appeared to rationalize or soften the aggressor’s actions, the author challenges whether such reporting could genuinely come from journalists of the targeted nation.
The essay emphasizes that North Korea acted in direct violation of United Nations resolutions and argues that any attempt to sympathize with the offender reflects a profound failure of journalistic integrity and national responsibility.

2017-07-04
Today, North Korea once again launched a missile.
This time, it even fell within our country’s exclusive economic zone.
Below is an excerpt from today’s evening front page of 朝日新聞.
Omitted text.
“However, all missiles launched by North Korea so far this year have fallen into the Sea of Japan or failed and landed inside North Korea.
It appears that North Korea is acting cautiously, conscious of the U.S. military, which has deployed two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in the western Pacific.”
(Aihiro Makino = Seoul, Makoto Iwao)
Is this really a passage written by a newspaper reporter who is a citizen of a country that has had missiles fired into it?
Moreover, North Korea launched the missile in complete disregard of the United Nations resolutions that Asahi Shimbun so dearly loves.
This resolution is not one of those absurd reports concocted by Asahi Shimbun through special rapporteurs claiming that freedom of speech is being violated in Japan.
It is a resolution representing the consensus of United Nations member states, including the agreement of the permanent members of the Security Council.
What kind of mindset leads someone to sympathize with the position of a country that has completely ignored such a resolution and fired a missile into one’s own exclusive economic zone?
Anyone would wonder whether the person who wrote this is truly a sane Japanese citizen.
Regarding all of Asahi Shimbun’s Seoul correspondents,
the Japanese people must constantly observe them with suspicion as to whether they have been subjected to honey traps, money traps, or brainwashing operations by the South Korean government or intelligence agencies, or by Chongryon or North Korean intelligence agencies.
Because this kind of writing cannot possibly be something written by a Japanese citizen.