Japanese media coverage on U.S. war against terrorism

 

Nov. 27, 2002

By Kosuke Takahashi

 

Summary

Excluding the communist paper, almost every Japanese news media admits that the United States is Japan’s most important ally in the world. Since last month, the media has declared in its editorials that the world should join the United States in efforts to eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, and that Iraq should accept the United Nations inspectors.

But from this point on, the media diverge. When it comes to the question of how far Japan, with its population of 128 million, should go with the U.S. in its war against terrorism, there is no consensus of opinion among the Japanese media. In other words, how Japan should deal with the antiterrorism policy sought by the U.S. is a big issue in Japan.

Liberal newspapers such as the Asahi Shimbun are very cautious about Japan’s involvement in U.S. military actions, pointing out the long-standing issue of Article 9 of the Constitution, which renounces war. Those newspapers have also expressed their concern about Washington’s growing unilateralism, which started with the Bush administration’s decision not to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, then moved to his sudden denunciation of Iran, Iraq, and North Korea as an “axis of evil,” and finally extended to the preparations for the future U.S. military actions against Iraq.

Conservative newspapers such as the Yomiuri Shimbun advocate Japan’s full support for U.S. military action against Iraq. Those newspapers strongly argue the necessity of revising the Constitution’s Article 9 and the exercise of the right of collective self-defense, which normal countries such as the NATO member states and Australia have had to cope with terrorism.

 

Media Monitored

    The Asahi Shimbun: Was launched in 1879. This privately-owned newspaper has a nationwide circulation of more than 8,300,000 copies. Over the years, the Asahi has exposed plenty of political and official corruption, including that of the prime minister. Because of this independent editorial stance, the Asahi is believed to Japan’s leading national newspaper. Readership is primarily liberal, middle- and upper-class adult. It also publishes the International Herald Tribune/the Asahi Shimbun (IHT/Asahi), the world’s first English-language newspaper with a double masthead.

 

    The Yomiuri Shimbun: Was set up in 1874. This national newspaper is the world's largest daily newspaper with a circulation of 10,200,000. Its editorial policy is pro-government. The newspaper, which owns the national-favorite Yomiuri Giants baseball team and carries many articles on the team, has rapidly expanded its circulation since the Second World War. Its readership is mainly conservative, working- and middle-class adult.

 

    The Nihon Keizai Shimbun: Was inaugurated in 1876 and is called Nikkei. Nikkei is Japan's flagship business daily with a circulation of 4,000,000. It also publishes dozens of popular business magazines. I would say its editorial policy is complex: in terms of the government’s economic policy, it’s pro-government; in terms of the national security, it’s a slightly left-wing. The readership is concentrated among urban business people.

 

General Impression

1. North Korea-related articles outrank news on the U.S. war against terrorism

Unlike the New York Times, it seems that all the three newspapers have divided their foreign coverage into two big hot issues since September. One is about North Korea-related issues, including the problems of Japanese people abducted by North Korean agents and North Korea’s nuclear development; the other about the U.S. war against terrorism and the future U.S. military actions against Iraq.

In fact, in Japan now this abduction issue is much more hotter news than the issue of the U.S. war against terrorism. Japanese media rapidly expanded its coverage on the North Korea-related issues on Sept. 17, when Japanese Premier Junichiro Koizumi met with North Korean leader Kim Jung Il and discussed the source of major friction between the two countries— North Korea's abudction of 13 Japanese citizens since the 1970s. 

I took a look at the front pages of the three newspapers’ Nov.1 to Nov.23 issues, then counted how many articles on both North Korea-related issues and the U.S. war against terrorism had appeared.

On the Asahi’s front pages, there are eight articles about the U.S. war against terrorism, including the impending U.S. military actions against Iraq. On the other hand, there are eleven articles about North Korea-related issues.

The similar trend occurred at the Nikkei’s coverage: only three articles about the U.S. war against terrorism; six articles about North Korea-related issues.

As for the Yomiuri, the number was the same; twelve articles on both issues came out on the front pages during that time.

 

 2. U.N.-centered articles

The three newspapers’ coverage on the U.S. war against terrorism was devoted exclusively to U.N.-centered reporting. For example, when the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution on Nov.8 giving weapons inspectors the muscle they need to hunt for illicit weapons in Iraq, the three newspapers reported this resolution as one of the Nov.9 front-page articles. Their central facts and headlines were portrayed identically. The newspapers headlined their articles under the exact same heading of “UN Security Council adopts new Iraq resolution unanimously.”

    The same reporting happened when U.N. arms inspectors returned to Iraq after a four-year hiatus on Nov.18. Both the Asahi and the Yomiuri reported the event in one of the Nov.19 front-page articles. The headlines both read as “U.N. weapons inspectors return to Iraq.” Again, their central facts are identical.

    

Editorials and Columns

　　Unlike their reports of the facts, the three newspapers’ views on the U.S. war against terrorism diverge in their editorials and columns.

On Nov.15, the Asahi Shimbun ran an editorial headlined “Arms Inspectors Get One Last Chance to Verify,” which urged Iraq to disclose everything about its nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and eliminate weapons stockpiles. The editorial also said, “Saddam Hussein must keep these conditions clearly in mind in fully cooperating with the U.N. inspectors.”

One of the salient points of this editorial was that it urged the U.S. not to take any unilateral actions. It said:

“We hope U.S. President George W. Bush will refrain from being so vocal about the prospect of war with Iraq and his scenarios for a post-war Iraq. The purpose of the Security Council resolution is not to overthrow Saddam Hussein, but to eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction…This is not the time to provoke Iraq, but rather to determine how completely Iraq will comply with the specifications of the U.N. Security Council resolution.”

Unlike the Asahi, the Yomiuri advocated collaborating with the U.S. in dealing with the war against terrorism.　On Nov.18, it carried out a column written by Hisahiko Okazaki, a former Japanese high-ranking diplomat, on its front page. The headline reads as: “Insights into the world; End 'independence' charade.” The column points out that some Japanese have recently been preaching "self-reliance and independence" for Japan, while displaying antagonism toward the United States. But Okazaki says this is wrong. He notes:

“The point at issue, however, is whether Japan, in an age of turbulent international relations, should make its own key decisions based on keeping intact its alliance with the United States as a lifeline for the nation's security and prosperity.”

The views of the Nikkei’s editorials and columns are very similar to those of the Asahi. A Nov.26 front-page column written anonymously as an editorial expresses its concern about the unilateralism of the U.S., stating that the European countries also have raised the same kind of concern.