Japan Press Weekly

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2013 July 3 - 9 [ELECTION]

Media giants flatter PM Abe, avoid touching on election issues

All nine heads of political parties got together at a debate session hosted by the Japan National Press Club (NKC) on July 3, the day before the official kick-off announcement of the Upper House election campaign. The session would have been a place for them to vigorously discuss issues and for reporters to ask questions on behalf of the general public in order to clarify the focal issues in the election.

However, a question session in which four newspaper journalists (representing Yomiuri, Asahi, Mainichi, and Nikkei) should have raised relevant questions to the party leaders showed the extent of collusive ties media giants have with political powerholders.

The four journalists made a fuss over Prime Minister Abe Shinzo by concentrating their questions on him. Although the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free-trade pact and the relocation of the U.S. Futenma base are the major controversial points at issue, they neglected to even mention these issues. They ended the question session without even asking about the still-continuing crisis at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

During the debate session which should have included the participation of the nine political leaders, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo and three other party heads were practically ignored. At the very end, a Yomiuri journalist who was the moderator of the “debate” session said, “These four heads didn’t have a chance to speak. So, to conclude this session, tell us something that you are dying to tell us within 20-30 seconds, please.”

National Press Club debates among political parties always stir up controversy over the unfair handling of the debates which only favor the ruling party.

The debate session this time, as always, underlined the collusive ties media giants have political powerholders.

Akahata frequently reports on the wining and dining and bonds of friendship formed between the ruling party or parties and media executives. On June 12, two days before the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election campaign was officially announced, it was revealed that the top editorial writers of the major dailies had dinner with Prime Minister Abe Shinzo.

What is the true role of the National Press Club? Do they represent the voice of the general public in any way?

Past related articles:
> PM has dinners with heads of press to gain media support ? [March 31, 2013]