Sankei Shimbun

The Sankei Shimbun
TypeDaily newspaper
FormatBlanket (54.6 cm x 40.65 cm)
Owner(s)Sankei Shimbun Co., Ltd. (mostly owned by Fuji Media Holdings)
PublisherTakamitsu Kumasaka
FoundedMarch 1, 1882 (as Jiji News); June 20, 1933 (as Nihon Kogyo Shimbun)
Political alignment
LanguageJapanese
Headquarters
Circulation
  • Morning edition: 1,030,000
  • Evening edition:[a] 300,000
  • (ABC Japan, In March 2022)
Website
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The Sankei Shimbun (産経新聞, Sankei Shinbun), name short for Sangyō Keizai Shinbun (産業経済新聞, lit. "Industrial and Economic News"), is a daily national newspaper[26] in Japan published by the Sankei Shimbun Co., Ltd, ranking amongst the top 5 most circulated newspapers in Japan.[27] Together with its English-language paper Japan Forward, the Sankei Shimbun has been described as having a conservative, nationalist, far-right[20][21][22] political stance. It has previously published materials downplaying or denying Japanese war crimes.[28]

Corporate profile

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The Sankei Shimbun is part of the Fujisankei Communications Group and is 40% owned by Fuji Media Holdings. The company is also the owner of Osaka Broadcasting Corporation (OBC, Radio Osaka).

History

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The Sankei Shimbun was created by the merger of two older newspapers: Jiji News and Nihon Kogyō Shimbun. Jiji News was founded in 1882 by author, translator, and journalist Fukuzawa Yukichi, who also founded Keio University. Nihon Kogyō Shimbun, founded in 1933 by Hisakichi Maeda, specialized in business and was published by the Minami-Osaka Shimbun (the South Osaka Evening newspaper). In 1941, the Osaka Shimbun (renamed from Minami-Osaka Shimbun) merged with Osaka Jiji Shimpō (Jiji-Shimpō Osaka edition). The following year, Nihon Kogyō Shimbun merged with other business newspapers in Western Japan, and changed its name to the Sangyō Keizai Shimbun (or the Sankei). In 1955, the Sankei merged with Jiji Shimpō. In 1959, the Sankei and Jiji Shimpō were placed under the Sankei Shimbun masthead.[29]

In 1958, the Sankei was acquired by Shigeo Mizuno and Nobutaka Shikanai. After financial difficulties, it changed direction from being liberal to being conservative (Tenkō). Both Mizuno and Shikanai would go on to found Fuji Television a year later.[30]

The Sankei Shimbun started two online newspapers in 1996: Sankei Web, in website style, and E-NEWS, in personal digital assistant style. In 2001, the Sankei Shimbun started a new electronic newspaper delivery edition, NEWSVUE. In 2002, the Sankei Shimbun merged with Osaka Shimbun. Both editions were placed under the Sankei Shimbun masthead. In 2005, the Sankei Shimbun added video to its digital edition, suitable for smartphone, and renamed it as Sankei NetView. In 2007, the Sankei Shimbun started a new online newspaper, MSN Sankei News [ja], in collaboration with Microsoft. In 2014 the Sankei Shimbun rebranded its online news as Sankei News.[29]

In 2017, Sankei Shimbun launched the English language online website Japan Forward.

Ownership

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  • Sankei Shimbun (産経新聞, Sankei Shimbun), a national newspaper.
  • FujiSankei Business i (フジサンケイビジネスアイ, FujiSankei Business i), an industry & business & economy newspaper that renamed Nihon Kogyo Shimbun (Japan Industry Newspaper) in March 2004, which ended publication in July 2021.[citation needed]
  • Sankei Sports (サンケイスポーツ, Sankei Sports), a Japanese daily sports newspaper since 1955.
  • Yukan Fuji (夕刊フジ, Fuji Evening Edition), a Japanese daily evening tabloid newspaper[31] since 1969.
  • Keiba Eight (競馬エイト, Horse Racing Eight), a horse racing newspaper since 1971.
  • Osaka Shimbun (大阪新聞), a Kansai regional evening newspaper that suspended publication in 2002.
  • Sankei Express (サンケイエクスプレス（産経エクスプレス）), a targeted at young people newspaper founded in 2006.

Political stance

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The Sankei Shimbun is a nationalist[8][9][10][11][12] and conservative[2][3][4][5] newspaper. Some book and media outlets have called the Sankei Shimbun a far-right newspaper;[21][22] The Sankei Shimbun has previously published books denying the atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II.[32]

Controversies

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In August 2014, South Korea filed suit against the Sankei for insults against president Park Geun-hye, published in one of the newspaper's articles, and demanded Tatsuya Kato, head of the Seoul Bureau, present himself for questioning.[33][34][35][36][37] The article in question covered several rumors about Park during the Sinking of the MV Sewol, referring to Korean news reports in the conservative newspaper Chosun Ilbo; however, only the Sankei was charged with defamation, considered an anti-Korean newspaper in Korea.[38] The Japanese media assumed the suit was a warning to the Sankei.[39][40] Kato, who was eventually acquitted of defamation charges in December 2015, was under prosecution without detention for a year and two months.[41] The South Korean court said press freedoms were taken into consideration in arriving at Kato's acquittal.

In December 2014, the newspaper apologized after running an advert for antisemitic books conspiracy theorist Richard Koshimizu.[42][43]

On February 11, 2015, regular columnist Ayako Sono wrote an opinion piece opining that though she considered it necessary for Japan to accept more immigrants to bolster its decreasing workforce, it would also be necessary for Japan to take steps to ensure the separation of immigrants in regards to living conditions, citing South African apartheid as an example of how to achieve this goal.[44][45][46]

In July 2015, Sankei Shimbun published the history book History Wars: Japan - False Indictment of the Century, which questioned the veracity of claims of Japanese war crimes during World War II.[28]

In September 2015, several hundred academics and journalists were sent copies of History Wars and Getting Over it! Why Korea Needs to Stop Bashing Japan. The book mailings were part of a project by right-wing groups such as the Nippon Kaigi to improve international perceptions of Japan.[32] A covering letter from politician Inoguchi Kuniko read in part: "In East Asia, the regional history of the 20th century has been incorrectly distorted (sic) by some individuals due to their current domestic political ambitions, I believe it is important for you, as a highly esteemed member of the academic and policy circles (sic), to look into the books which I am enclosing with this letter."[32]

Sankei Award, Sankei Prize

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  • Praemium Imperiale (高松宮殿下記念世界文化賞, Takamatsu no miya denka kinen sekai bunka-shō, lit. "World Culture Prize in Memory of His Imperial Highness Prince Takamatsu") – An international art prize founded in 1989 awarded by the Imperial family of Japan on behalf of the Japan Art Association in the fields of painting, sculpture, architecture, music, theatre and film.
  • Tokyo Police Officers Prize (都民の警察官, Tomin no Keisatsukan) – An award founded in 1952.
  • Peoples' Self-Defense Officials Prize (国民の自衛官, Kokumin no Jieikan) – An award commendating self-defense officials[clarify] founded in 2002.
  • Sankei Children's Book Award (産経児童出版文化賞, Sankei jidou shuppan bunka Shō) – The oldest children's literature award in Japan.
  • Naniwa Art Festival (なにわ藝術祭, Naniwa Geijutu Sai)[b] – Major traditional culture award for the arts of rakugo (comedic Japanese verbal entertainment), buyō (Japanese dance), modern dance, classical music and jazz, awarded since 1964.
  • Sankei International Calligraphic Art Exhibition (産経国際書展, Sankei Kokusai Sho-Ten) – A major kanji (Japanese calligraphy) award founded in 1984.

Philanthropy

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  • Akemi Chan Fund (明美ちゃん基金, Akemi Chan Kikin) – a medical fund set up in Japan for impoverished children with heart defects.[47]
  • Sankei Social Welfare Association (産経新聞厚生文化事業団, Sankei Kousei bunka jigyodan) – a nonprofit organization for societal welfare.[48]

Offices

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Sankei Shimbun Co., Ltd's headquarters in Ōtemachi, Chiyoda, Tokyo

Sankei Group affiliate companies

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Notable corporate alumni

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The paper's evening edition is published only for the Kansai region.
  2. ^ 'Naniwa' refers to the place that became the modern Japanese city of Osaka.

References

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  1. ^ Jeff Kingston, ed. (2016). Press Freedom in Contemporary Japan. Routledge. ISBN 9781317234357. ... Likely, the author knows that he can spin whatever version of reality he wants to because his readers don't know better and, as subscribers to the reactionary Sankei Shimbun, are predisposed to dismiss any criticism of Japan or PM Abe ...
  2. ^ a b "Japan's Aso, Chinese officials endorse global trade system". AP News. August 31, 2018. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. The conservative Sankei Shimbun has been critical of China.
  3. ^ a b Junko Fujita (March 13, 2015). "Fuji Media wins bid for Japan hotels over Orix, Morgan Stanley". Reuters. Archived from the original on April 24, 2023. the conservative daily newspaper Sankei Shimbun
  4. ^ a b AFP says "the conservative Sankei Shimbun newspaper" https://www.yahoo.com/news/japan-pm-abe-attend-olympics-despite-sex-slave-013130699.html Archived May 21, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ a b "Tokyo protests Beijing's exclusion of Sankei Shimbun reporter from covering diplomatic meeting". The Japan Times. August 30, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  6. ^ Harvard University's Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies published an analysis of the Japanese media's political spectrum, as part of an analysis of the constitutional reform issue. According to Harvard: "The Sankei Shimbun has generally been recognized as a "conservative" newspaper".
  7. ^ [1][2][3][4][5][6]
  8. ^ a b "The Struggle for the Japanese Soul: Komori Yoshihisa, Sankei Shimbun, and the JIIA controversy". The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Matthews, Eugene A. (January 28, 2009). "Japan's New Nationalism". Foreign Affairs. Retrieved February 21, 2020. ... And such sentiments appear regularly in Sankei Shimbun, Japan's nationalist daily ...
  10. ^ a b "Japanese right muzzling liberal media: Analysts". The Straits Times. December 9, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2020. The Sankei Shimbun, a robustly nationalistic paper, and the right-wing Yomiuri Shimbun – the world's biggest newspaper with 10 million copies sold daily – devoted acres of coverage to the episode.
  11. ^ a b "Japan mulls revision of comfort women apology". Philippine Daily Inquirer. February 24, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2020. Suga's comment came after a weekend opinion poll, jointly conducted by the nationalistic Sankei Shimbun daily and Fuji TV, in which 59 ...
  12. ^ a b Bartlett, Duncan (November 20, 2019). "Japan and South Korea: Headaches and Headlines". The Diplomat. Retrieved July 4, 2020. This suggestion is rejected outright by the conservative Japanese newspaper the Sankei, which is noted for its nationalism.
  13. ^ [8][9][10][11][12]
  14. ^ "Nationalism, nuclear power and Japans fragile media opposition". East Asia Forum. October 1, 2014. "But the newspaper world has become polarised into two ideological camps: the pro-nuclear camp led by Yomiuri Shimbun and the right-wing Sankei Shimbun ..."
  15. ^ "Court Acquits Journalist Accused of Defaming South Korean President". The New York Times. December 17, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2020. Tatsuya Kato, a former Seoul bureau chief of Japan's right-wing Sankei Shimbun newspaper ...
  16. ^ "Summit collapse breaks hearts in South Korea, leaves Moon losing face". The Washington Post. March 1, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2020. The right-wing Sankei Shimbun paper argued that Kim's "top-down strategy" had backfired, leading to the worst crisis for his leadership since he took over in North Korea in 2011.
  17. ^ "Japan's government tries to free its soldiers from pacifist shackles". The Economist. February 26, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2020. "We must respond to America first-ism with Japan first-ism," says Masato Inui, executive editor of the Sankei Shimbun, a right-wing newspaper.
  18. ^ Alexis Dudden, ed. (June 23, 2008). Troubled Apologies Among Japan, Korea, and the United States. Columbia University Press. p. 52. ISBN 9780231512046.
  19. ^ [14][15][16][17][18]
  20. ^ a b Curtis, Paula R. (May 30, 2021). "Ramseyer and the Right-Wing Ecosystem Suffocating Japan – Tokyo Review". Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  21. ^ a b c Myles Carroll, ed. (2016). The Making of Modern Japan: Power, Crisis, and the Promise of Transformation. Brill Publishers. p. 205. ISBN 9781317234357. ... These organic intellectuals also have expression in the mainstream media, most notably the increasingly reactionary and Abealigned nhk and the far-right Sankei Shimbun, but also the centre-right Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan's largest ...
  22. ^ a b c "Japanese Gov't to Restrict Chemical Material Exports to S. Korea". BusinessKorea. August 1, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2020. Even the Sankei Shimbun, a far-right newspaper, criticized the Japanese government for the possible repercussions of the restrictions.
  23. ^ "Japan May Be Moving Right Politically, But Its Communist Party Still Holds Some Sway With Voters". Forbes. October 30, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2020. They are subject to constant surveillance and harassment. Yet, their popularity has not waned. The party's newspaper, Akahata (赤旗), has over 1.12 million readers and one weekly magazine predicts they may eclipse Japan's far right newspaper, Sankei Shimbun in the near future.
  24. ^ Kim, Youmi; Ives, Mike (February 26, 2021). "A Harvard Professor Called Wartime Sex Slaves 'Prostitutes'. One Pushed Back. (Published 2021)". The New York Times. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  25. ^ [20][21][22][23][24]
  26. ^ "Japan". Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  27. ^ "産経新聞 (Sankei Shimbun) · The Economic and Industry · in English — Press Translator". mrtranslate.ru. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  28. ^ a b McNeil, David (December 4, 2015). "Nippon Kaigi and the Radical Conservative Project to Take Back Japan" (PDF). The Asia-Pacific Journal | Japan Focus.
  29. ^ a b "History: COMPANY". sankei.jp. Archived from the original on July 31, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  30. ^ 楽天、TBS買収に挑む ベンチャー三国志 Vol.19 (in Japanese). Kigyoka Club. May 1, 2013. Archived from the original on February 1, 2015.
  31. ^ "41. Fuji Media Holdings, Inc". Media Data Base / mediadb.eu. Institute for Media and Communication Policy. July 10, 2022. Archived from the original on December 31, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  32. ^ a b c McNeil, David (December 4, 2015). "Nippon Kaigi and the Radical Conservative Project to Take Back Japan" (PDF). The Asia-Pacific Journal | Japan Focus.
  33. ^ http://www.koreaherald.com/view.phpōud=20140810000273[permanent dead link‍]
  34. ^ "Headline News | The DONG-A ILBO". The Dong-a Ilbo. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  35. ^ "Sankei Seoul bureau chief grilled over Park article". August 18, 2014 – via Japan Times Online.
  36. ^ "Sankei reporter appears at prosecutors' office over Park article - 毎日新聞". Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  37. ^ Gale, Alastair (October 10, 2014). "Korean Prosecutors Indict Japanese Journalist on Defamation Charge". Wall Street Journal – via online.wsj.com.
  38. ^ "Sankei Shimbun's defamation of Korea goes too far". Dong-a Ilbo. South Korea. August 11, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  39. ^ "EDITORIAL: South Korea's suppression of press freedom undermines democracy". Asahi Shimbun. Japan. September 3, 2014. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  40. ^ "Seoul court acquits Japanese reporter of defaming president". December 17, 2015.
  41. ^ "Report: Park Geun-hye's office intervened in trial of Japanese journalist". UPI. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  42. ^ Obe, Mitsuru (December 6, 2014). "Japan Newspaper Apologizes Over Advertisement for 'Jewish Conspiracy' Books". Wall Street Journal.
  43. ^ "Conservative Daily Sankei apologizes for running anti-semitic ad". The Japan Times.
  44. ^ Johnston, Eric; Osaki, Tomohiro (February 12, 2015). "Author Sono calls for racial segregation in op-ed piece" – via Japan Times Online.
  45. ^ Hayashi, Yuka (February 13, 2015). "Author Causes Row With Remarks on Immigration, Segregation". Wall Street Journal.
  46. ^ Lies, Elaine (February 13, 2015). "Japan PM ex-adviser praises apartheid in embarrassment for Abe". Reuters.
  47. ^ "明美ちゃん基金". October 19, 2016. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  48. ^ "社会福祉法人 産経新聞厚生文化事業団". 社会福祉法人 産経新聞厚生文化事業団｜つなぐ・結ぶ・輪を広げる. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  49. ^ "Reopening the Abduction Case Files – Part Five: "Something strange is happening along the Sea of Japan" | JAPAN Forward". Japan Forward. February 24, 2017. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
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