Instead of noting defiance or lack of remorse, the report frames the defendant’s demeanor in neutral, even sympathetic terms—revealing how narrative tone reshapes perception.

2016-04-10

And then the day came when Ōe Kenzaburō stood in court.
When the younger brother of the late Captain Akamatsu confronted Ōe for slandering his brother as an Eichmann-like deceiver, the Asahi Shimbun wrote that “Mr. Ōe stared straight at the witness without averting his eyes.”
Ordinarily, one would write that he showed “no sign of remorse” or that he was “brazen.”
Next, when Ōe took the witness stand, he offered an excuse that barely qualifies as sophistry, saying, “I did not write that Captain Akamatsu issued an order for mass suicide; this should be read as an order by the Japanese military.”
A ripple of derisive laughter—so there are Japanese like this—rose from the gallery, yet when rendered by the Asahi, this too became, with omissions, “After nearly two hours of testimony, he stood up quietly from his seat with a look of relief.”
To be continued.