Japan Press Weekly

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2008 April 9 - 15 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

'In a private capacity' he attended political party: NHK official says

At an NHK Management Committee meeting on April 8, its Chair Komori Shigetaka admitted that he attended “in a private capacity” a party held by supporters of Liberal Democratic Party member of the House of Representativesr Muto Yoji in late February.

Akahata on March 1 reported Komori’s attendance at the party and raised questions about the NHK official’s cozy relation with politicians.

At a House of Councilors Internal Affairs Committee meeting on March 31, Japanese Communist Party representative Yamashita Yoshiki criticized Komori’s presence at the political gathering, stating, “As the management committee chair, whose job is to make sure NHK programs are impartial, he should not act in a manner that could mislead viewers.”

At the April 8 committee meeting, Komori, who is also the president of Fujifilm Holdings, said, “Since Lawmaker Muto is a former Fujifilm worker, I went to his party as the president.”

Komori explained that he did not attend the party as an NHK official, although he reportedly mentioned during a speech there that he now held the management committee chair’s post.
- Akahata, April 10, 2008