January 12, 2018
An Akahata report that Prime Minister Abe has repeatedly dined and wined with media executives attracted attention on a commercial radio program which aired on January 8.
On a TBS Radio news magazine show named “Day Catch”, journalist Aoki Osamu brought up an Akahata article dated December 31, 2017 which reported on the frequent dinners that PM Abe had with executives of major media companies.
Akahata revealed that since PM Abe made a comeback in 2012, he had dinner 38 times with top executives of the major pro-revisionism daily Yomiuri Shimbun. These dinner meetings included one held on the night of October 22, the voting day of the 2017 general election, which Yomiuri Group president Watanabe Tsuneo attended. Aoki said, “I was amazed by this revelation.”
According to the Akahata report, the number of times that PM Abe in the past five years had dinner parties with top officials of anti-constitution media agencies totaled 21 with executives of Yomiuri subsidiary, Nippon TV, and more than 10 each with Fujisankei Group subsidiaries (Sankei Shimbun and Fuji TV).
In the radio program, Aoki also cited a list of all the dates of dinner meetings between PM Abe and top media executives in 2017 which was included in the Akahata report.
The list highlighted that in addition to pro-Abe media persons, PM Abe had dinner engagements with influential people in Japan’s sole public broadcaster NHK and in the press such as Nikkei Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, and Mainichi Shinbum. Akahata pointed out that with such close and friendly ties, it is doubtful that the Japanese media can play their role of journalistic watchdog of those in positions of power and influence.
Aoki pointed out that so much dining and wining by PM Abe of media executives would bring about a chilling effect on front-line media workers. This will further decrease public trust in media, he warned.
Past related article:
> Major media losing critical perspective after repeated wining and dining with Abe [March 16, 2017]
On a TBS Radio news magazine show named “Day Catch”, journalist Aoki Osamu brought up an Akahata article dated December 31, 2017 which reported on the frequent dinners that PM Abe had with executives of major media companies.
Akahata revealed that since PM Abe made a comeback in 2012, he had dinner 38 times with top executives of the major pro-revisionism daily Yomiuri Shimbun. These dinner meetings included one held on the night of October 22, the voting day of the 2017 general election, which Yomiuri Group president Watanabe Tsuneo attended. Aoki said, “I was amazed by this revelation.”
According to the Akahata report, the number of times that PM Abe in the past five years had dinner parties with top officials of anti-constitution media agencies totaled 21 with executives of Yomiuri subsidiary, Nippon TV, and more than 10 each with Fujisankei Group subsidiaries (Sankei Shimbun and Fuji TV).
In the radio program, Aoki also cited a list of all the dates of dinner meetings between PM Abe and top media executives in 2017 which was included in the Akahata report.
The list highlighted that in addition to pro-Abe media persons, PM Abe had dinner engagements with influential people in Japan’s sole public broadcaster NHK and in the press such as Nikkei Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, and Mainichi Shinbum. Akahata pointed out that with such close and friendly ties, it is doubtful that the Japanese media can play their role of journalistic watchdog of those in positions of power and influence.
Aoki pointed out that so much dining and wining by PM Abe of media executives would bring about a chilling effect on front-line media workers. This will further decrease public trust in media, he warned.
Past related article:
> Major media losing critical perspective after repeated wining and dining with Abe [March 16, 2017]
