Japan Press Weekly

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2017 February 1 - 7 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Korean residents in Japan should return to their homeland: DHC chairman

The chairman of a company which produced a TV program slandering Okinawans opposing the construction of U.S. bases is calling for the exclusion of Korean residents in Japan.

The person is Yoshida Yoshiaki, Chairman and CEO of DHC Corporation, a well-known cosmetics maker in the country. Yoshida states in his “message” on the DHC website, “An astonishing number of Koreans live in Japan,” and “We do not need ‘fake Japanese’. Let’s deport them to their home country.”

Yoshida also serves as president of DHC Theater, a DHC-affiliated company. DHC Theater produces many TV programs featuring advocates of ultra-nationalism and distributes them on the Internet and CS channels. DHC is now attempting to buy terrestrial broadcasting slots in order to air the programs created by its subsidiary.

At the beginning of this year, the terrestrial broadcaster Tokyo MX telecasted a DHC-sponsored news magazine program, “News Joshi”, which branded as “terrorists” local protesters against the U.S. base construction in Okinawa and it has provoked fierce public criticism.

As of the end of 2016, DHC obtained airtime for its news magazine with two terrestrial broadcasters; Tokyo MX and TV Aichi. In January 2017, seven other local TV stations began to air “News Joshi”. Almost all of the stations broadcast the program in after-midnight slots, but Chiba TV televises the program during primetime every Monday.

In light of public missions of broadcasting, it is a matter of grave concern that such a program is making inroads into terrestrial broadcasting.

Past related article:
> Sponsor of TV program slandering anti-US base protesters has ties with rightwing extremists [January 20, 2017]