11.26.04
Joint Venture to Push E-Books in Japan

From The Business Times via Singapore's IT AsiaOne: A joint venture of major Japanese digital media company SoftBank and a Singapore-based e-book software maker will promote e-publishing technology in Japan and Korea. The SoftBank subsidiary SoftBank Media and Marketing Group (SBMM) has made a $3 million investment in E-Book Systems, creator of the Digital Flip Technology that mimics the flipping of book pages. SBMM agreed last year to be the only distributor for E-Book Systems' Japanese and Korean markets. While the U.S. market represents nearly 95 percent of E-Book's revenue, Japanese profits may catch up soon with added help from SBMM, said E-Book's CEO Richard Wan.
 -- By Japan Media Review Managing Editor Shellie Branco
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11.26.04
Scientists Pursue Flexible LCD Screen

From the Yomiuri Shimbun: Japanese researchers are making strides toward development of a lightweight, bendable liquid crystal display that could be used in e-books and other mobile electronic media. While conventional LCD screens are rigid, a new semiconductor developed by a team from the Tokyo Institute of Technology could be used to create an energy-efficient, flexible, transparent display that would be well-suited for use in mobile devices. The results of their work have been published in the British journal Nature.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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11.25.04
Anchorwomen Promote Digital TV

From The Japan Times: Six female newsanchors from each major broadcast station were appointed as "ambassadors" for digital terrestrial broadcasting by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry (formerly called the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications). Ambassadors will appear on various TV programs to promote digital terrestrial broadcasting, which celebrates its first anniversary on Dec. 1. The selected newscasters are Yuriko Shimazu of NHK, Noriko Baba of Nippon TV, Hitomi Nakamura of Fuji TV, Tamayo Marukawa of TV Asahi, Kanae Takeuchi of TBS, and Tomoko Morimoto of TV Tokyo.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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11.24.04
Best-selling Net Story Mirrors Japan's Youth Culture

From Stuff (New Zealand): "Densha Otoko" ("The Train Man"), an Internet bulletin board love story published as a book last month, has become a bestseller in Japan. The book, written as a compiled series of messages posted on Japan's popular Channel 2 Net bulletin board, details the true story of an anonymous young man's online search for advice about dating a girl he met on a train. Some believe the book's popularity is a reflection of surging Internet use in Japan and the Web's major impact on young people's daily lives. John Clammer, a professor of comparative culture at Tokyo's Sophia University, said, "A lot of my students do spend a lot of their time on the Internet. It is, in a way, their connection to reality." The book contains e-mails with emoticons, a familiar writing style for young adults who communicate by cell phone text messaging. While Clammer described the Internet as "democratic," some highlight the dark side of anonymity on the Web. One pointed example is a recent suicide pact involving people who met through the Internet. (See also Week in Review 10.13.04)
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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11.18.04
Asahi, Yomiuri Run Afoul of Media Ownership Rules

From The Asahi Shimbun and Kyodo News: The Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun newspapers announced they hold stakes in TV and radio stations that exceed broadcast ownership caps imposed by the government. Both papers said they will sell stock in order to comply with regulations. Yomiuri Shimbun officials said the newspaper's investments in nine TV stations and three radio stations breached the limits. Asahi Shimbun said it was violating the rules by holding stakes in two TV stations in a single market, according to a separate Kyodo News report. The rules, designed to enhance the diversity of expression on Japanese airwaves, state that companies cannot hold a stake larger than 10 percent in more than one broadcaster in the same area, and they cannot own more than 20 percent of any one broadcast station. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications recently asked local private broadcasters to examine their ownership records to determine if there are other incidences of cross-ownership that violate regulations.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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11.17.04
Japanese Papers Assail N. Korea on Abductees

From BBC News: Japanese opinion pages expressed frustration with North Korea's limited cooperation in the investigation into its abduction of Japanese citizens. A Japanese delegation brought back a photograph and what Pyongyang says are the ashes of one missing woman, but the secretive communist state has not supplied any further information on the kidnappings, which occurred in the 1970s and 1980s. "The abductees' families will never be satisfied with this," reads a commentary in the Yomiuri Shimbun. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Japan's influential financial paper, calls on the government to impose economic sanctions on Pyongyang in response.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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11.15.04
Engagement Scoop Irks Imperial Household

From The Japan Times: The Imperial Household Agency chastised the press for reporting on the recent engagement of Princess Nori before it was officially announced. A spokesman called the reports "highly inappropriate," noting that the family had chosen not to announce the engagement out of respect for the victims of the deadly earthquakes in Niigata Prefecture. The Asahi Shimbun broke the engagement news in a story Nov. 14.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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Monthly Pressnet Bulletin
Newspapers Harness Web to Provide Quake Updates

From the November Pressnet Bulletin: The press took advantage of the Internet after an earthquake hit the Niigata region in late October. The Mainichi Shimbun and the Yomiuri Shimbun offered special bulletin boards after the quake to provide safety information or news about survivors. In response to the disaster, some papers changed deadlines and made special deliveries to relief centers, though deliveries could not be made to Ojiya, Toka-machi and Yamakoshi. The major regional newspaper, The Niigata Nippo, used the Web to relay information about quake damage, as did the national papers. Newspaper sites were also used to provide links to relief organizations.
 -- By Japan Media Review Managing Editor Shellie Branco
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Monthly Pressnet Bulletin
Magazine Slapped With Record Libel Judgment

From the November Pressnet Bulletin: In the biggest libel compensation ever ordered of a media company, magazine publisher Shinchosha Co. was made to pay 20 million yen ($194,000) in damages to a medical corporation after the publisher's appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court on Oct. 1. Shinchosha's weekly Focus magazine ran a series of stories accusing the corporation's president of murdering his wife and three people in 2000 in order to obtain their life insurance benefits. Although the Kumamoto City corporation originally claimed 171.7 million yen ($1,666,000) for defamation, last year the Tokyo District Court ordered Shinchosha to pay 13.2 million yen ($128,000) for eight of the 12 articles and publication of the president's photo. The Tokyo High Court ruled on appeal that all 12 stories were defamatory and upped the damages to 19.8 million yen, which were later affirmed by the Supreme Court.
 -- By Japan Media Review Managing Editor Shellie Branco
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Monthly Pressnet Bulletin
Commentary: Net Waters Down Newspapers' Authority

From the November Pressnet Bulletin: There's need for greater dialogue on the changing definition of press freedom in Japan, including the Internet's role, said a communications professor who lectured at the National Newspaper Convention in Toyama City on Oct. 15. The University of Tokyo's Junichi Hamada said the press has historically led the charge of protecting freedom of expression, but most people have now embraced the Internet as a new way to freely communicate. "People are becoming more aware of the difference between freedom of the press and freedom of expression," Hamada said. "As a result, one new idea is to strictly define freedom of the press as a right of corporate entities and let the freedom of expression in general be seen as a natural human right." He also criticized the Internet for depleting the media's authority by allowing "amateur(s) to mimic professional journalist(s)." He suggested broadening the legal definition of the "public interest" to include the interests of individuals, not only what is considered the common good. Newspapers should follow suit by reporting more instances of individuals' democratic rights, he added.
 -- By Japan Media Review Managing Editor Shellie Branco
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11.16.04
ANA Launches On-Board Internet Service on Some Flights

From Kyodo News via Japan Today: All Nippon Airways this week became the first Asian carrier to offer high-speed Internet access on board.  For now, the service is only available on flights between Tokyo and Shanghai, but the airline said it plans to introduce service on flights to Europe in fiscal 2005.  According to travelbiz.com.au, service will cost a flat rate of US $19.95 per flight or $7.95 for the first half-hour and $0.25 a minute thereafter, and it will be possible for passengers to connect via Wi-Fi.  Japan Airlines, meanwhile, plans to introduce service on flights to London next month.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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11.16.04
New Cell Phones Will Sport Anti-Virus Software

From The Asahi Shimbun: As cell phones get increasingly complex, they become more susceptible to viruses.  Now, in a pre-emptive strike against hackers, NTT DoCoMo is building virus protection software into its newest handsets.  The anti-virus software, developed by DoCoMo and U.S. computer security firm McAfee, will detect and clean phones of potentially harmful programs.  The security software will also keep itself up-to-date by downloading information about new viruses through DoCoMo's i-mode data service.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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11.14.04
Radio Tags Keep Tabs on Tokyo Students

From AP via the Los Angeles Times: A student walks into Rikkyo Elementary School in the morning, and moments later his parents receive an e-mail on their mobile phones letting them know their son has arrived safely, thanks to a digital ID tag embedded in the student's backpack.  It sounds like science fiction, but it's simply the latest application of the radio-frequency identification technology already used in stores, tollbooths and building security systems.  Schools in Japan have been stepping up security in the wake of several high-profile killings of children, including a 2001 attack on a school in which a man stabbed eight children to death.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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11.08.04
Schwarzenegger, a Japanese Media Icon, Returns

From SFGate.com: When California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger visits Japan this week, it will be a homecoming of sorts for the actor, who is also known to Japanese audiences as a prolific pitchman for such products as vitamin drinks, cup noodles, beer and DirecTV. Schwarzenegger, making his first trip to Japan since becoming governor last year, will be promoting tourist destinations and business opportunities in California -- but he'll be doing it in his usual media-savvy style. On the governor's agenda: An appearance on a cooking show to push California products and the filming of California tourism commercials.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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11.08.04
Pro-North Korea Paper in Tokyo Blasts Bush

From The Korea Times: A pro-North Korea newspaper based in Tokyo published a sharp criticism of President Bush's re-election this week, calling him "stupid and tyrannical." The Choson Sinbo, published in Korean and Japanese, lambasted the president's decisions to invade Afghanistan and Iraq. "What kind of praise does a man deserve, a man who does not care about the military which showers innocent children, women and elderly people with bullets and bombs?" the piece asked. While the paper is not an official mouthpiece of the North Korean government, it is said to take cues from Pyongyang. The Choson Sinbo article said North Korea will not resume negotiations with the United States and will continue its nuclear program as long as the Bush administration maintains a "hostile policy" toward Pyongyang.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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11.04.04
FM Station Broadcasts Multilingual Emergency Info

From The Japan Times: An FM radio station in Nagaoka, which was struck by an earthquake last month, started foreign-language broadcasts on earthquakes Nov. 1 to provide non-Japanese greater access to emergency information during disasters. While foreign-language emergency Web sites and leaflets exist, local officials are recognizing the importance of providing the growing number of foreigners in Japan with disaster information in their native languages. By request of the local government and foreign residents, FM Nagaoka's special broadcasts will be given in English, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish and Tagalog for the city's estimated 2,100 non-Japanese inhabitants. Kobe broadcaster FM YY, created a year after 1995's destructive Great Hanshin Earthquake, is helping Nagaoka produce the programs. After the Kobe earthquake, foreigners had difficulty finding public shelters because of the language barrier. "In a disaster like an earthquake, many people will be unable to access the Internet, or they may be upset and easily forget about the Web sites and leaflets," said FM YY spokesman Junichi Hibino.
 -- By Japan Media Review Managing Editor Shellie Branco
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11.01.04
Hostage Saga Competes for Coverage

From Reuters:  Reports on the aftermath of a powerful earthquake that hit northern Japan on Oct. 23 drew media attention away from the kidnapping and beheading of a Japanese tourist in Iraq. Television stations and newspapers did lead Sunday with the story of Shosei Koda's death, but the news of his kidnapping has mostly played second fiddle to the unfolding domestic crisis. On the day Koda's beheading was reported, the major national newscast also spent eight minutes detailing the condition of a toddler who was pulled from the rubble of the quake.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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11.01.04
Law Prohibits Drivers From Using Mobile Phones

From the Mainichi Daily News:  A new law banning the use of mobile phones while driving went into effect Monday. Police manned checkpoints on major thoroughfares around Tokyo to enforce the rule, ticketing drivers who failed to comply. Under a previous law, talking on a cell phone while driving was punishable only if the act contributed to "dangerous traffic conditions." The high number of traffic deaths led to the stricter law. In 2003, drivers' cell phone use was blamed for 34 road deaths.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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10.26.04
New Rule Bans Naming Juvenile Offenders Online

From United Press International via The Washington Times: Japan implemented new guidelines for the online publication of information on accused juveniles, but will not impose a penalty for violators. In October, at the behest of the Justice Ministry, the rules were introduced for some 600 to 700 Internet service providers. The guidelines follow the Juvenile Law, which bans traditional media from publishing articles and photos identifying offenders aged 19 or younger. In a test case, photos of a 17-year-old accused of a bus hijacking and murder were voluntarily eliminated from a Web site at the request of the ministry's Human Rights Bureau.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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10.25.04
DoCoMo Looks to Expand Its Vision Abroad

From the International Herald Tribune: NTT DoCoMo's concept of the cell phone of the future will attract users across the globe, said Takeshi Natsuno, the founder of DoCoMo's next-generation i-mode service. Within five years, i-mode subscriptions have reached over 42 million, one-third of Japan's population, and the company has licensed i-mode to overseas operators. "Everyone's looking to them, and everyone is saying that the rest of the world is six or seven months behind DoCoMo," said Paolo Pescatore, analyst at International Data Corp. in England. Natsuno said fierce competition has been a motive for further innovations. In August, NTT DoCoMo introduced the mobile wallet in Japan, equipped with Sony's FeliCa smart card, which combines the functions of credit cards, keys, subway tickets, and membership cards. The mobile wallet has already gained more than 400,000 users, and 10 million people are expected to subscribe by the end of next year.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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10.23.04
Sony's Mobile Console Goes Beyond Gaming

From Newsweek: The new Sony PlayStation Portable, which left tech geeks drooling at its recent Tokyo Game Show debut, won't be just for videogames. Sony envisions the PSP will have wireless connectivity, stream TV programs, display photos, and play movies and music. And it also may be used as a voice-over-Internet phone. The console, with its wide display screen and "jumbo Hershey bar" size, will go on the market in Japan later this year with a price tag under $300. On the downside, movie viewing might be compromised by the PSP's insufficient battery life, and concerns over illegal content sharing could limit the device's full potential.
 -- By Japan Media Review Managing Editor Shellie Branco
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10.21.04
Yahoo Japan Earnings Up 62 Percent

From AFP via The Sydney Morning Herald: Citing increased broadband use and better advertising revenue, Yahoo Japan reported a six-month net profit of 16.9 billion yen ($155 million), up 62.2 percent from a year earlier. While earnings for the three-months period ending in September weren't as stellar as those for the previous quarter, the company's president and CEO, Masahiro Inoue, said Yahoo Japan was positioned for the long run. "I still see great growth potential in Yahoo Japan, and for long-term prosperity, we sacrifice short-term performance and increase outlays," Inoue said.  Japanese Internet provider Softbank holds a 41.9 percent stake in Yahoo Japan.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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10.19.04
Google Execs Hit Tokyo to Promote Projects

From Mainichi Daily News: Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page promoted the establishment of a research center in Japan as well as other company projects in a visit to Tokyo this week. The two avoided discussing details about the center's opening date and when future products would be released. They said Google is interested in creating new mobile Internet services and is also quickly developing a Japanese version of its desktop search, which hit international markets in mid-October. The Japanese research center could also create products for the many other countries served by the internationally popular search engine.
 -- By Japan Media Review Managing Editor Shellie Branco
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10.14.04
Softbank Sues to Stop 3G Plan

From AFP via Yahoo Asia News: Internet provider Softbank has filed suit to block a government plan for divvying up wireless bandwidth, arguing the proposal would shut it out of the market for mobile high-speed data services until 2012. The system proposed by the Japanese government to allocate frequencies for "third-generation" mobile technology unfairly favors the country's two largest wireless carriers, NTT DoCoMo and KDDI, the suit said. In addition to its wireless aspirations, Softbank, one of Japan's top Internet providers, is challenging DoCoMo parent NTT in the landline telephone market.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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10.13.04
Internet Love Story to Be Published

From The Daily Yomiuri: A collection of posts to a Web message board is being published as a book this month. The story is based on a 22-year-old man's account of a romance on board a train, which he posted to the popular Web site Channel 2. As the story of his relationship evolved, hundreds of online readers reacted to the posts by giving advice. One of the members compiled people's responses in a narrative form and posted it on the Net. The finished story, called "Densha Otoko" ("The Train Man"), received great attention from readers and has already gained recognition in the literary world. Publisher Shinchosha Co. plans to release the story in book form Oct. 22, with the text printed horizontally, as it appeared on the Internet, rather than in the vertical format commonly used in books. The author and the person who compiled the posts have kept their anonymity. "It's a new kind of literature through which anonymous people's writings have created a story of youth and solidarity," said a representative for the publisher.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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10.13.04
Police Believe Internet Facilitated Suicide Pacts

From The New York Times: Police in Japan found nine people dead in two vehicles at almost the same time Oct. 12 and say the deaths may be tied to a suicide message board on the Internet. Police found charcoal burners in both cars, and the cars' windows had been sealed. Officials said the seven occupants of one vehicle, a minivan, and the two people in the other car likely met online. In Japan, where the suicide rate is about twice as high as in the United States, there are Web sites devoted to the topics of suicide and suicide techniques. Some sites advertise "painless" suicide kits. In the past, authorities have urged Internet providers to report possible online suicide pacts, but most providers are thought to have ignored the request.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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Monthly Pressnet Bulletin
Newspaper Association Honors Year's Best News Coverage

From the October Pressnet Bulletin: Winners of this year's NSK (Nihon Shinbun Kyokai) Editorial Division Awards have been announced. Nihon Keizai Shimbun won an award for its scoop on the merger between two banks, UFJ and Mitsubishi Tokyo. The coverage received critical acclaim for its accurate reporting of the restructuring trend in the banking industry. NHK was given the award for its coverage of the suicide bomb attack on the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad. NHK broadcast footage of the attack earlier than other TV stations. Hokkaido Shimbun won an award for its ongoing coverage of a police slush fund scandal. The story led to revelation of accounting irregularities at police stations nationwide. Niigata Nippo received an award for its long-term series on the North Korea abductees. The sensitive coverage urged government action on the abduction. The four awards were given at the 57th National Newspaper Convention on Oct. 15 in Toyama City.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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Monthly Pressnet Bulletin
Kyodo News Starts 'Special Assignment' Beat

From the October Pressnet Bulletin: Kyodo News, Japan's largest wire service, last month created a new position to focus on in-depth reporting. So-called "special assignment writers" will be excused from routine duties, focusing on newsgathering and writing of longer-form articles and specializing in analysis of complex topics. Kyodo News said the move came in response to higher demand from subscribers for in-depth analysis. The news agency appointed Mikio Haruna, deputy chief editorial writer, to oversee the new office.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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10.05.04
New Technologies Link Offline Ads, Cell Phones

From Computerworld: New technology is allowing Japanese camera phone users to avoid typing in long Web addresses. Instead, they can point their phones at special bar codes on printed material and let the phone look up the address. The QR Code reader software, developed by Denso Wave Inc., has become a standard function in some sophisticated camera phones. It reads a bar code in an advertisement or other printed document and transfers the data to the phone. NTT DoCoMo is promoting it as a way to look up information from the business cards of its employees. Several magazine publishers already include ads featuring QR codes that link to coupons. Another system, invented by wireless entertainment provider Taito Corp., can deliver large amounts of data to phones using infrared beams that emanate from posters or other displays. Aside from Internet links, the Popar system can deliver still images, audio and video files.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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10.05.04
Bribery Nets Media Exec a Prison Sentence

From The Daily Yomiuri: A judge convicted the head of a publishing company and sentenced him to 18 months in prison for bribing an official in the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Kazunori Ojiri, president of Sentaku Agency Inc., was found guilty of paying 1.6 million yen ($14,600) to Takayuki Mori, a senior public relations official at the ministry, in part to secure a bid to make a TV ad for the Ishikawa Prefecture's Social Insurance Agency office. Tokyo District Court Judge Yoshinobu Iida chastised the two men for betraying the public trust by misusing profits generated by Sentaku from taxpayers' money. This is the latest in a string of bribery-related charges to hit the company. At least 78 officials were implicated in bribery cases involving a total of 70.35 million yen ($644,000) over the last five years.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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10.04.04
Satellite Mobile Broadcaster Announces Launch

From The Korea Times: A Japanese firm says it plans to roll out the world's first satellite-based mobile broadcasting system this month. Mobile Broadcasting Corp. will begin offering its digital multimedia service for mobile devices Oct. 20. The service, dubbed Mobaho, will initially offer seven video, 30 audio and three data channels to mobile devices such as cell phones and in-car computers. In March, Mobile Broadcasting and its partner, South Korea's SK Telecom, launched the satellite to be used for the service. SK Telecom's own similar offering remains mired in regulatory red tape.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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10.03.04
Oregon Woos Japanese Press

From OregonLive.com: The U.S. state of Oregon is trying to improve its image in Japan after a spate of bad publicity in the wake of harsh treatment of Asian visitors by INS inspectors.  To help restore the state's image, the Oregon tourism industry is offering free hotel rooms and meals to Japanese journalists.  Their lobbying appears to be paying off:  Several Japanese magazines, including Dime and Rasin, have featured the state prominently.  In the 1980s, the television series "From Oregon With Love," set in the state's high desert, made Oregon a household word in Japan.  But in 2000, the state was attacked in the Japanese press after U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service officials strip-searched and jailed a number of Asian travelers arriving at Portland's airport.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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10.01.04
Authors Bemoan Japan's Irresponsible Press

From On the Media/WNYC: Adam Gamble and Takesato Watanabe, authors of "A Public Betrayed: An Inside Look at Japanese Media Atrocities and Their Warnings to the West," talked about issues in Japanese journalism on New York public radio station WNYC. Watanabe pointed out that Japanese journalists are "company workers before they are journalists" and they receive information on politics and the economy mainly through press clubs. Gamble added that Japanese journalists "keep tabs on each other," not scooping one another in the press club. Asked why Japanese media do not reflect the American model although Japan has followed the American system of democracy, Gamble said Japan still keeps six major news media companies that were established by the Japanese militarists "in an attempt to control their population's flow of information" prior to World War II. In addition, Watanabe said, "We don't have a concrete idea for the globalization of the public's voice, people's voice." (See related story on Japan Media Review)
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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09.30.04
Future of Baseball: Online?

From the Asahi Shimbun: Two entrepreneurs are hoping Japan's professional baseball league will bet on the Internet as the content distribution channel of the future.  Hiroshi Mikitani of Rakuten Inc. and Takafumi Horie of Livedoor Co. are in competition to establish a franchise in Sendai, where they hope to take advantage of their companies' new media expertise to pioneer new forms of sports content delivery.  Both say they expect the Internet to eventually replace television as the largest revenue generator for teams.  In particular, both are bullish on the potential of wireless delivery of sports content.  Nippon Professional Baseball is in the process of selecting a winner for the franchise.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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09.29.04
Japan's Sports Media Chase Ichiro

From MLB.com: More than 30 Japanese print reporters have been in the U.S. covering Ichiro Suzuki's quest to break Major League Baseball's single-season hit record.  Since not all of them could get access to the Seattle Mariners slugger, they nominated three pool reporters to interview Suzuki and share quotes.  Keizo Konishi, a Kyodo News writer who covers the Mariners and is one of the three reporters with access to the star hitter, says he shares all of the quotes he gathers with his fellow reporters.  When Suzuki's record-breaking hit came Oct. 1, the mainstream American media finally took notice of what the Japanese press had been covering all along.

Meanwhile, Junglecity.com, a Seattle-based Japanese-language site that carries Japanese translations of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Mariners coverage, has seen a spike in traffic from Japan.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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09.22.04
Trailblazing Gay Magazine to Close

From AFP via the Mail and Guardian: Japan's pioneering magazine for gay men has fallen victim to competition from the Internet and will be shut down, its editor says. Bungaku Ito launched Barazoku (Rose Tribe), the country's first magazine for homosexuals, in 1971, when social attitudes about homosexuality were considerably more hostile. Ito, 72, says the magazine's circulation is down to about 3,000 from a one-time high of 30,000. "We cannot sell it like we used to do," he says.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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09.21.04
Service Links Students, A-Bomb Survivors

From Kyodo News via Yahoo News Asia: A Nagasaki museum has launched an online conferencing system that allows the city's aging atomic-bombing survivors to discuss their experiences with students nationwide. Schoolchildren in Ibaraki Prefecture had the first chance to use the system, called "Peace Net," to ask questions of Koichi Wada, a 77-year-old victim of the Aug. 9, 1945, bombing. The free service, sponsored by Nagasaki peace groups, is hosted by the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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09.19.04
Newsmagazines Report on NHK Scandals

From The Japan Times: Japanese newsmagazines have been ganging up on troubled TV network NHK. Led by Shukan Bunshun, the publications have aggressively reported on a string of alleged scandals at the public broadcaster. Shukan Bunshun's report said an NHK producer stole as much as 80 million yen ($722,000) from the network, which denies the figure. More recently, Shukan Shincho followed up with stories charging NHK with misdealings in several areas, including the misuse of funds by the network's Seoul bureau chief. Sources within NHK have expressed sadness and frustration about the network's situation. An unnamed NHK source told Shukan Taishu, "A huge majority of the staff feel both shock and anger" at the alleged abuses.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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09.15.04
NHK Chairman Faces Gov't Committee on Fraud Cases

From Japan Today: NHK chairman Katsuji Ebisawa faced members of the Japanese Diet's Lower House Executive Committee to answer questions about recent fraud cases involving employees of the public broadcaster. He apologized and avoided responding directly to inquiries from politicians. "We betrayed the trust of the nation as a national broadcast station," he said. "I would like to express my deep apologies to them." Democratic Party member Hisayasu Nagata said the embezzlements weren't a result of employees' personal problems. NHK, he said, has been using public money to fatten its subsidiaries, which include a publishing house and software division. NHK fees cost each household 1,395 yen ($13) a month; a subscription to NHK's satellite programming incurs a higher cost.

As reported by The Korea Times, earlier in the week Ebisawa spoke briefly about NHK's fees at a South Korean event sponsored by a pan-Asian broadcast union. "It is our duty to transmit the highest quality programs and always stand impartial from any government or private organization," he said. " ... The levying of receiving fees guarantees our financial independence."
 -- By Japan Media Review Managing Editor Shellie Branco
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09.14.04
Manufacturers Work Together on Mobile TV

From The Motley Fool: Now that Japanese and South Koreans can watch TV on their handsets, five cell phone manufacturers are coming together to create standards for mobile TV broadcasts. Through the Open Mobile Alliance, NEC, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Nokia and Siemens hope to take advantage of the potential giant growth in mobile "infotainment." But as writer Rich Duprey points out, there's no guarantee that people will fully embrace mobile TV on cell phones, with their small screens and insufficient battery life.
 -- By Japan Media Review Managing Editor Shellie Branco
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09.10.04
Coming Soon: NHK Shows via Satellite on Handsets

From The Asahi Shimbun: Public broadcaster NHK will provide news and entertainment broadcasts to a digital satellite broadcaster starting next month. This is the first time NHK has offered programming to a private company. Mobile Broadcasting Corp. will likely pay nearly 250 million yen (about $2.3 million) for NHK shows. In October, Mobile Broadcasting will introduce 30 audio-only channels, including news and language-study programs. Seven more channels will include TV broadcasts of news, sports and entertainment. The deal doesn't come without controversy -- under Japan's Broadcast Law, publicly financed NHK could face charges of overexpansion.
 -- By Japan Media Review Managing Editor Shellie Branco
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09.09.04
Spurning Google Might Cause More Harm Than Good 

From Poynter Online: A major daily Japanese newspaper is absent from recently launched Google News Japan because of copyright issues. According to the September 2004 NSK News Bulletin, when Google asked Yomiuri Shimbun executives to allow their headlines to be included on the news site, the paper refused, saying that Yahoo paid them for their headlines and that they were protected by copyrights. E-Media Tidbits contributor Amy Gahran believes the attempt at self-preservation may become business suicide. If Google News is as popular in Japan as it is in the United States, Yomiuri Shimbun might have to relent.
 -- By OnlineJournalism.com Section Editor Stephanie Woo
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Monthly Pressnet Bulletin
Journalists, Educators Meet on Newspapers in Education

From the September Pressnet Bulletin: Teachers from elementary, junior high and senior high schools met with journalists in late July to discuss Newspapers in Education at a national convention in Niigata Prefecture. This year's theme: "Preserve and Develop the Print Media Culture." Asahi Shimbun President Shin-ichi Hakoshima said parents of students who are reading newspapers in school expect more analytical articles, adding that editors should meet that need. One teacher showed how his students connected with the news by making scrapbooks of articles, which led them to discuss current events. Others said the Newspapers in Education program should be simplified for beginning students as well as teachers unaccustomed to the curriculum.
 -- By Japan Media Review Managing Editor Shellie Branco
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09.08.04
NHK Directors Do Penance Through Pay Cut

From The Japan Times: NHK announced salary cuts for its board directors due to several misdeeds involving its producers. Among the recent scandals: A former chief producer was found to have misused 48,886,600 yen (about $446,000) in July, resulting in his firing. The public broadcaster also found that two producers and some senior officials claimed expenses for fake business trips and meals. In addition, its Seoul bureau chief has been suspended for inflating the costs of news gathering operations. NHK's president, Katsuji Ebisawa, apologized to the audience in a news conference, saying "I am feeling grave responsibility."
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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09.07.04
Asia Is World's Biggest Telecom Market

From The Korea Herald: New data from the International Telecommunication Union show that Asia is the world's largest market for telecom subscriptions and equipment. The booming region accounts for more than a third of the planet's installed telephone lines and roughly half of all new telecom equipment. Most of the growth has come in China and India, but Japan is leading the charge for broadband Internet access and third-generation wireless. Japan leads the world in wireless Internet use, with 80 percent of its mobile subscribers having Internet capabilities.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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09.07.04
Fair Coverage of Sino-Japanese Relations Urged

From the People's Daily Online: Experienced journalists from Japan and China advocated objective and balanced coverage of the relationship between the two countries in a seminar to commemorate the 40th anniversary of exchanging correspondents between Japan and China. According to Liu Deyou, a former correspondent in Japan for China's Xinhua news agency and the Guangming Daily, the media should pay more attention to issues and negative elements regarding mutual relations. "They should try their best to write dispassionate reports without involving their personal feelings and without exaggeration so that the public can see possible solution to these problems," he said. Yokobori Katsumi, a former correspondent for the The Asahi Shimbun in Beijing, said, "The Japanese media should correctly understand the situation in China as much as possible and introduce that to the Japanese people in a comprehensive way."
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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09.07.04
NFL Renews Broadcast Rights in Japan

From the Associated Press via SFGate.com: The National Football League renewed deals with three Japanese broadcasters -- NHK, Gaora and NTV -- to provide television coverage of the league's American football games. ABC's "Monday Night Football" program will continue to be carried by NHK, which also has rights to show the Super Bowl in high-definition. Satellite sports network Gaora will broadcast up to six games a week compared with NHK's three. NTV produces a weekly half-hour NFL-related show.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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09.01.04
Iraqi TV Crews to Train in Japan

From The Japan Times: According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government is offering Iraqi television staff members, diplomats and athletes training in Japan, in the hope of developing good relations with Iraqis. Eleven television crews from the Muthanna TV Broadcasting Station, a public station in Al-Muthanna, the southern Iraqi province where troops from Japan's Self-Defense Force are stationed, arrived in Japan Aug. 30 and are scheduled to learn professional broadcast techniques in training sessions that run through Oct. 8.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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09.01.04
Softbank Introduces Software-on-Demand

From Webpronews.com: Softbank BB, Japan's largest broadband Internet provider, has launched a service that will deliver software to subscribers' computers on demand. But rather than installing the programs on their computers, users will be able to stream from the service provider, eliminating the need for lengthy installation procedures.  The streaming system will also allow users to try software on a time-limited basis before they buy it.  The monthly subscription fee for a single program will be between 100 and 500 yen ($.90-$4.53).
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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Thanks to Nooper.com for the use of their photos.

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