The Japan Times#Controversy

{{Infobox newspaper

| name = The Japan Times

| logo = The-japan-times-logo.svg

| image = The-Japan-Times-sample-p1.jpg

| caption = Sample page 1 of The Japan Times

| type = Daily newspaper

| format = Broadsheet

| foundation = {{Start date and age|22 March 1897}}

| ceased publication =

| owners = News2u Holdings, Inc.

| publisher = Takeharu Tsutsumi

| editor = Hiroyasu Mizuno

| assoceditor =

| staff = Approximately 130

| language = English

| political =

| circulation = 44,000

| headquarters = Tokyo, Japan

| sister newspapers =

| oclc = 21225620

| ISSN = 0447-5763

| website = {{URL|https://www.japantimes.co.jp/}}

}}

The Japan Times is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-01-25-fi-1040-story.html|title=A Growing Japan Export: News : Media: The English-language Japan Times is expanding and revamping its overseas edition.|first=Nancy|last=Yoshihara|date=25 January 1990|work=Los Angeles Times}}{{cite web|title=Media: The Japan Times|url=http://www.worldeyereports.com/media-the-japan-times/|website=World Eye Reports|access-date=29 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006052758/http://www.worldeyereports.com/media-the-japan-times/|archive-date=6 October 2014|url-status=dead}} It is published by {{nihongo|The Japan Times, Ltd.|株式会社ジャパンタイムズ|Kabushiki gaisha Japan Taimuzu}}, a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc. It is headquartered in the {{nihongo|Kioicho Building|紀尾井町ビル|Kioicho Biru}} in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo.{{cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/about-us/ |title=ABOUT US: Company Outline |work=The Japan Times |date=14 December 2012 |quote=Head Office: 14F Kioicho Bldg., 3-12 Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0094 |access-date=20 December 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/about-us/access/ |title=ACCESS (map) |work=The Japan Times |date=10 April 2013 |access-date=20 December 2018}}

History

File:The-Japan-Times-Newspaper-First-Issue-March-22-1897.png

The Japan Times was launched by {{Ill|Motosada Zumoto|ja|頭本元貞}} on 22 March 1897, with the goal of giving Japanese people an opportunity to read and discuss news and current events in English to help Japan participate in the international community.{{cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/08/13/national/japan-times-not-just-wartime-mouthpiece/ |title=Japan Times not just wartime mouthpiece |date=13 August 2011 |last=Kamiya |first=Setsuko |work=The Japan Times}}

In 1906, Zumoto was asked by Japanese Resident-General of Korea Itō Hirobumi to lead the English-language newspaper The Seoul Press. Zumoto closely tied the operations of the two newspapers, with subscriptions of The Seoul Press being sold in Japan by The Japan Times, and vice versa for Korea.{{Cite web |last=정 |first=진석 |date=2020-08-03 |title=[제국의 황혼 '100년전 우리는'] [113] 일본의 선전매체 '서울 프레스' |url=https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/02/03/2010020301901.html |access-date=2024-01-29 |website=The Chosun Ilbo |language=ko}}{{Cite web |title=서울프레스 |trans-title=The Seoul Press |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0028082 |access-date=2024-01-29 |website=Encyclopedia of Korean Culture |language=ko}} Both papers wrote critically of Korean culture and civilization, and advocated for Japan's colonial control over the peninsula in order to civilize the Koreans.{{Cite journal |last=Caprio |first=Mark E. |date=2011 |title=Marketing Assimilation: The Press and the Formation of the Japanese-Korean Colonial Relationship |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41490268 |journal=The Journal of Korean Studies |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=8–9 |doi=10.1353/jks.2011.0006 |jstor=41490268 |issn=0731-1613|url-access=subscription }}

The newspaper was independent of government control, but from 1931 onward, the paper's editors experienced mounting pressure from the Japanese government to submit to its policies. In 1933, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs appointed Hitoshi Ashida, former ministry official, as chief editor.{{cite web|url=http://www.fccj.or.jp/node/2123 |title=The Japan Times at War Time: Mouth piece or Moderator? |first=Peter |last=O'Connor |date=4 April 2007 |publisher=Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan |website=fccj.or.jp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716064544/http://www.fccj.or.jp/node/2123 |archive-date=16 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}

During World War II, the newspaper served as an outlet for Imperial Japanese government communication and editorial opinion. It was successively renamed The Japan Times and Mail (1918–1940) following its merger with The Japan Mail, The Japan Times and Advertiser (1940–1943) following its merger with The Japan Advertiser, and Nippon Times (1943–1956), before reverting to the Japan Times title in 1956.{{Cite web|url=https://web.library.yale.edu/news/2015/09/new-resource-available-japan-times-archives-1897-2014|title=New Resource Available: Japan Times Archives (1897-2014) {{!}} Yale University Library|website=web.library.yale.edu|access-date=2019-02-05}} The temporary change to Nippon Times occurred during the ban on English language sentiment during World War II-era Japan.{{cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/02/24/national/history/wartime-naval-cadet-recalls-twisted-history-english-japan/ |title=Wartime naval cadet recalls the twisted history of English in Japan |last=Ishii |first=Hayato |date=24 February 2015 |work=The Japan Times |agency=Kyodo News |access-date=5 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226165141/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/02/24/national/history/wartime-naval-cadet-recalls-twisted-history-english-japan/ |archive-date=26 February 2015 |url-status=live}}

Shintaro Fukushima (1907–1987) became president of The Japan Times in 1956. He sold some of the company's shares to Toshiaki Ogasawara (小笠原敏晶 Ogasawara Toshiaki), who was chairman of Nifco, a manufacturer of automotive fasteners. Fukushima renounced management rights in 1983, after which Nifco acquired control of The Japan Times and brought about staff changes and alterations to the company's traditions established in 1897.{{cite web|url=https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/4216?page=4|title=小野寺優・ニフコ社長--自動車用にとどまらず、工業用ファスナーを軸として切り口増やしたい|trans-title=Yu Onodera, President Nifco--I want to increase the number of cuts by using industrial fasteners as an axis, not only for automobiles|date=2010-04-26|website=toyokeizai.net|publisher=Toyo Keizai}} Ogasawara served as the chairman and publisher of The Japan Times until 2016,{{cite news|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/12/05/national/japan-times-honorary-chairman-former-publisher-toshiaki-ogasawara-dies-85/|title=Japan Times honorary chairman and former publisher Toshiaki Ogasawara dies at 85|date=5 December 2016|newspaper=Japan Times Online}} when his daughter Yukiko Ogasawara (小笠原有輝子 Ogasawara Yukiko) succeeded him as chairman of the company. She had previously served as the company's president from 2006 to 2012, when she was replaced by career Japan Times staffer Takeharu Tsutsumi. Nifco sold The Japan Times to PR firm News2u Holdings, Inc. on 30 June 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/The-Japan-Times-sold-to-Tokyo-based-PR-company|title=The Japan Times sold to Tokyo-based PR company|date=12 June 2017|first=Kentaro|last=Iwamoto|website=Nikkei Asian Review|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-10-26}}

Content

The Japan Times publishes The Japan Times, The Japan Times On Sunday, [https://alpha.japantimes.co.jp/ The Japan Times Alpha] (a bilingual weekly), books in English and Japanese. Staff at The Japan Times are represented by two unions, one of which is Tozen.{{cite web|url=http://tokyogeneralunion.org/branches/japan-times/|title=Tozen|access-date=7 August 2010|publisher=Tozen|date=7 August 2010 }}

=Print=

The Japan Times, Ltd. publishes three periodicals: The Japan Times, an English-language daily broadsheet; The Japan Times Weekly, an English-language weekly in tabloid form;{{cite web|title=English daily|url=https://club.japantimes.co.jp/subscriptions/new/jt/index_e.html|work=The Japan Times Online|publisher=The Japan Times|access-date=16 October 2011|archive-date=14 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914233623/https://club.japantimes.co.jp/subscriptions/new/jt/index_e.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=English weekly|url=https://club.japantimes.co.jp/subscriptions/new/jt/index_e.html|work=The Japan Times Online|publisher=The Japan Times|access-date=16 October 2011|archive-date=14 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914233623/https://club.japantimes.co.jp/subscriptions/new/jt/index_e.html|url-status=dead}} and Shukan ST, also a weekly in tabloid form, targeted at Japanese readers learning the English language. Since 16 October 2013, The Japan Times has been printed and sold along with The New York Times International Edition.{{cite web |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/2013/10/15/press-release/the-japan-times-international-new-york-times-to-launch-tomorrow-commemorative-event-scheduled-for-oct-23/ |title="The Japan Times / International New York Times" to launch tomorrow; commemorative event scheduled for Oct.23 |date=15 October 2013 |type=press release |work=The Japan Times |access-date=25 June 2020 |archive-date=21 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721162949/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/2013/10/15/press-release/the-japan-times-international-new-york-times-to-launch-tomorrow-commemorative-event-scheduled-for-oct-23/ |url-status=dead }}

=Web=

Printed stories from The Japan Times are archived online. The newspaper has a readers' forum and, since 2013, the website offers a section for readers' comments below articles. This came about during a redesign and redevelopment of the newspaper, using Responsive Web Design techniques so the site is optimised for all digital devices. The Japan Times has a social media presence on Twitter, and Facebook since 2007.

Controversy

After being acquired by News2u, The Japan Times changed its editorial stance and contributor lineup as part of efforts to reduce criticism of the newspaper as an "anti-Japanese" outlet.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-politics-newsroom-insight/fear-and-favor-chill-newsroom-at-storied-japanese-paper-idUSKCN1PI36V|title='Fear' and 'favor' chill newsroom at storied Japanese paper|work=Reuters|first1=Mari|last1=Saito|first2=Ami|last2=Miyazaki|date=24 January 2019|access-date=24 January 2019}} In November 2018, it was announced in an editor's note that subsequent articles would use the term "wartime laborers" rather than "forced labor", and "comfort women" would be referred to as "women who worked in wartime brothels, including those who did so against their will, to provide sex to Japanese soldiers", instead of the previously used "women who were forced to provide sex for Japanese troops before and during World War II."{{cite news|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/11/29/national/crime-legal/south-koreas-top-court-orders-mitsubishi-heavy-pay-compensation-wartime-labor/|title=South Korea's top court orders Mitsubishi Heavy to pay compensation for wartime labor|work=The Japan Times|date=29 November 2018|access-date=30 November 2018}} The change drew immediate criticism from readers and employees, with particular concerns expressed over the paper's apparent alignment with the political positions of Prime Minister Shinzō Abe.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/30/japanese-paper-sparks-anger-as-it-ditches-ww2-forced-labour-term|title='Comfort women': anger as Japan paper alters description of WWII terms|work=The Guardian|first=Justin|last=McCurry|date=30 November 2018|access-date=30 November 2018}} In response to these criticisms, The Japan Times wrote in an article on 7 December 2018, "We must admit that the editorial note undermined the relationships of trust we have built with our readers, reporters and staff. I would like to apologize for the inconvenience", and denied criticism that it was in line with the intentions of the administration.{{cite web |trans-title=Why The Japan Times was defeated by the "compulsory" expressions of comfort women and recruiters |title=ジャパンタイムズが慰安婦と採用担当者の「強制的な」表現に打ち負かされた理由 |url=https://www.itmedia.co.jp/business/articles/1812/13/news013.html |website= ITmedia |date=13 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201015125244/https://www.itmedia.co.jp/business/articles/1812/13/news013.html |archive-date=15 October 2020}}

Contributors

Mark Brazil, Wild Watch nature columnist (1982–2015)"[http://www.japantimes.co.jp/author/int-mark_brazil/ Mark Brazil]", Japan Times. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721180714/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/author/int-mark_brazil/ |date=21 July 2021 }}. Retrieved 25 March 2017
Monty DiPietro, art critic
John Gauntner, Nihonshu columnist
John Gunning, sumo columnist
Don Maloney
Fume Miyatake, Women in Business columnist
Jean Pearce, community columnist
Ezra Pound, Italian correspondent
Dreux Richard, African community, investigative
Donald Richie, book, film critic
Elyse Rogers, Women in Business columnist
Mark Schilling, film critic
Robbie Swinnerton, Tokyo Food File columnist
Edward Seidensticker
Fred Varcoe, sports editor
Robert Yellin, Ceramic Scene columnist