Japan Media Review Update: September 27, 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

Trailblazing Gay Magazine to Close
From AFP via the Mail and Guardian: Japan's pioneering magazine for gay men has fallen victim to competition from the Internet and will be shut down, its editor says. Bungaku Ito launched Barazoku (Rose Tribe), the country's first magazine for homosexuals, in 1971, when social attitudes about homosexuality were considerably more hostile. Ito, 72, says the magazine's circulation is down to about 3,000 from a one-time high of 30,000. "We cannot sell it like we used to do," he says.
-- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken

Service Links Students, A-Bomb Survivors
From Kyodo News via Yahoo News Asia: A Nagasaki museum has launched an online conferencing system that allows the city's aging atomic-bombing survivors to discuss their experiences with students nationwide. Schoolchildren in Ibaraki Prefecture had the first chance to use the system, called "Peace Net," to ask questions of Koichi Wada, a 77-year-old victim of the Aug. 9, 1945, bombing. The free service, sponsored by Nagasaki peace groups, is hosted by the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims.
-- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken

Newsmagazines Report on NHK Scandals
From The Japan Times: Japanese newsmagazines have been ganging up on troubled TV network NHK. Led by Shukan Bunshun, the publications have aggressively reported on a string of alleged scandals at the public broadcaster. Shukan Bunshun's report said an NHK producer stole as much as 80 million yen ($722,000) from the network, which denies the figure. More recently, Shukan Shincho followed up with stories charging NHK with misdealings in several areas, including the misuse of funds by the network's Seoul bureau chief. Sources within NHK have expressed sadness and frustration about the network's situation. An unnamed NHK source told Shukan Taishu, "A huge majority of the staff feel both shock and anger" at the alleged abuses.
-- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken