Japan Media Review Update: June 28, 2004

JMR Staff (Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California)

Review
The following reviews are posted at: http://www.japanmediareview.com/japan/digest/digest.php

Shukan Post Drops Nude Photos
From The Daily Yomiuri: Beginning with its June 28 edition, the weekly magazine Shukan Post will no longer publish photographs of naked women, which have become a staple in many Japanese newsmagazines. The change is part of an apparent shift toward higher-quality journalism to build readership at the magazine, which has seen its circulation drop by almost 30 percent since 1996. "I think our readers accepted the publication of such photos, but their necessity has inevitably faded with the deluge of nude pictures available on the Internet and through other sources," said the paper's managing editor, Takaaki Ebihara. Other magazines do not appear to be following suit. "We print such photos because they are news," said an official with another magazine, Asahi Geino.
-- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken

Man Who Leaked Stolen Documents Is Jailed
From the Mainichi Daily News: A Tokyo court sentenced a man to prison for 4 1/2 years for stealing documents related to a string of murders in 1997 and releasing them to the media. Shigeyuki Oketani, a member of an extremist group, stole psychiatric records on the underage killer from a hospital. He also allegedly broke into the home of the perpetrator's parents. "He ignored the spirit of the Juvenile Law by doing such things as trying to release investigation documents through the press, and his actions deserve strong criticism," said Megumi Yamamuro, presiding judge of the Tokyo District Court.
-- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken

Telecom Ministry Condemns False Report on Former Official
From The Japan Times: The Telecommunication Ministry reproached TV Asahi Corp. for allegedly false coverage of former Transport Minister Takao Fujii in a talk show program aired last September. According to the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications, Fujii was presented in the program as harassing an opposition lawmaker who asked questions in a Diet session about Japanese abductees by North Korea. Fujii was absent during the questions, however, and the footage of him came was from a different session. The ministry wrote to the president of TV Asahi, claiming that the broadcaster made a "grave error," by giving viewers a wrong impression that Fujii was not eager to resolve the North Korea situation.
-- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori

Wide-Scale Digital Broadcasts to Start Sooner Than Planned
From The Asahi Shimbun: Digital terrestrial TV programs from five private broadcasters will reach an estimated 6.4 million households in Tokyo and surrounding areas two months earlier than planned. The five networks were scheduled to start wide-scale broadcasting in October, but they plan to begin experimental broadcasts in early August, which will allow viewers to watch high-definition digital broadcasts of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. If no problems arise, regular broadcasting is expected to start in early October. While public broadcaster NHK already transmits digital signals to around 6.9 million homes in the Tokyo area, only 120,000 households in central Tokyo can now receive the private networks' digital broadcasts.
-- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori

Reporter Charged With Trespassing on Bullet Train Tracks
From the Mainichi Daily News: An overzealous reporter attempting to photograph destruction caused by a recent typhoon was caught walking along a high-speed rail line off-limits to pedestrians. The reporter for the Yomiuri Shimbun, who was not identified, jumped a fence to enter the railbed of the Tokaido Shinkansen line, over which trains between Tokyo and Osaka run at speeds of up to 270 kilometers per hour (168 mph). The Yomiuri Shimbun apologized for the reporter's incursion, which occurred while service on the line was suspended due to damage from the storm.
-- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken