Japan Media Stats
Japan's 49.8 million households bought nearly 47.5 million daily newspaper subscriptions in 2004
http://www.pressnet.or.jp/english/data_e/01circulation.htm
About 94 percent of newspapers in Japan in 2004 were sold by subscription. Less than 5.5 percent were a result of single-copy sales
http://www.pressnet.or.jp/english/data_e/01circulation.htm
Japanese spend 35 minutes a day on average reading the newspaper, mainly between 6 and 9 a.m.
http://www.videor.co.jp/eng/press/020403_1.html
Close to 30 percent of Japanese people read the last page of the newspaper first, while nearly 40 percent read the first page first
http://www.videor.co.jp/eng/press/020403_1.html
Japanese viewers watch the most television in the world at five hours a day.
http://channels.netscape.com/ns/news/story.jsp
Some 50 percent of Japanese are Internet users
http://www.gihyo.co.jp/magazine/SD/pacific/SD_0406.html
Only 24 percent of Japanese deem the Internet a reliable and accurate source of information
http://www.gihyo.co.jp/magazine/SD/pacific/SD_0406.html
Internet users in Japan watch 5.4 hours less television per week than non-users
http://www.gihyo.co.jp/magazine/SD/pacific/SD_0406.html
Japanese newspaper advertising revenues dropped 1 percent in 2003, and 8.5 percent in the past five years
http://www.wan-press.org/article4473.html
The most popular Japanese news Web site is Yomiuri.co.jp, which receives more than 6.4 million unique visitors per day: 4 million accessing from home and 2.4 million accessing from the workplace (Japanese only)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/adv/ad/uniqueusers.htm
In a 2003 survey report of 300 Japanese Internet users, half said they visit newspaper Web sites (Japanese only)
http://japan.internet.com/research/20030203/print1.html
The second largest in the world, the Japanese advertising market was valued at $37 billion in 2000
http://adtimes.nstp.com.my/archive/2001/aug12.htm
Books About Japan and Japanese Media
Memoirs of Tsuneo Watanabe, on the president of Yomiuri, Japan's biggest daily newspaper (Japanese only)
DoCoMo – Japan’s Wireless Tsunami: How One Mobile Telecom Created a New Market and Became a Global Force
Media and Politics in Japan, edited by Harvard Japanese politics professor Susan J. Pharr
Broadcasting Politics in Japan: NHK and Television News, by Ellis S. Krauss
Communications Policy in Transition: The Internet and Beyond, edited by Benjamin M. Compaine and Shane Greenstein. A collection of studies and research on telecommunications, wireless and Internet access worldwide.
Closing the Shop, by Laurie Anne Freeman. From Princeton University: “Freeman examines the subtle, highly interconnected relationship between journalists and news sources in Japan … she describes how Japanese press clubs act as “information cartels,” limiting competition among news organizations and rigidly structuring relations through strict rules and sanctions.”
Mass Communication in Japan, by Anne Cooper-Chen and Miiko Kodama
Women, Media, and Consumption in Japan, by editors Lise Skov and Brian Moeran
The Politics of Southeast Asia’s New Media by William Atkins. This text reports there has not been a relaxation of state control or an erosion of national borders as a result of the globalization of news and information. Instead, state control continues in new, more subtle forms.
Encyclopedia of Contemporary Japanese Culture by editor Sandra Buckley. Entries cover literature, film, architecture, food, health, politics, economics, religion and technology.
The Japan Foundation Library holds books, journals and microfilms/microfiches on Japan written in foreign languages. A great starting point when searching for books on Japan, media and technology.
Media Regulation in Japan
Proposed privacy laws: An update (January 2003) on new privacy bills that could limit press freedoms
Japanese broadcast law requires station owners to seek a government license every five years. The law states broadcasters:
1. "Shall not disturb public security and good morals and manners
2. Shall be politically impartial
3. Shall broadcast news without distorting facts"
Those found in violation of the law can lose their licenses.
Japan's radio law (pdf)
Japan's cable law (pdf)
Japan's copyright law
Reports
Newspaper circulation in Japan: Daily circulation rose 0.3 percent between October 2003 and October 2004; the first year-on-year circulation growth in five years.
Newspaper advertising expenditure rose 0.6 percent in 2004 to 1.056 trillion yen ($9.88 billion), the first year-on-year increase in four years, according to the Dentsu 2004 Advertising Expenditure Report (pdf).
The overall share of newspaper ad spending shrank by 0.5 percent in 2004, while Internet ad spending rose significantly by 53.5 percent to 181.4 billion yen ($1.7 billion). This was the first time Internet ad expenditures surpassed that of radio advertising.
In its twelfth straight year of decline, the number of people employed by newspapers and news agencies decreased 2.5 percent as of April 2004.
Newspaper revenue in Japan
Analysis of Japan's mass media
NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute publishes monthly and yearly research reports on broadcast-related topics.
A declaration from the 57th National Newspaper Conference states: “We in the newspaper industry renew our pledge to strengthen bonds with our readers and to live up to their trust through the principles of the [Canon] of Journalism.”
Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association Canon of Journalism
The Internet in Japan: Catalyst for Change?
This academic analysis offers an excellent guide to regulatory and business issues that shape e-commerce in Japan.
Report on DSL in Japan
in Japan
Young People and Media Literacy
Telecommunications industry report (pdf)
Internet use report
This page was compiled initially by Mike Reilley of Journalist's Toolbox and by JMR staff.
Japan News Sources
English Language
Asahi.com
Asia Times: Japan
Big News Network.com
Economist: Japan
Einnews.com
Foreign Press Center Japan
GLOCOM
Ikjeld.com
The Japan Times Online
Japan Today
Kyodo News Online
Mainichi Daily News
NHK World Daily News
Nikkei Net Interactive
Nipponnews.net
Sankei Seiron
Washington Post: Asia/Pacific
Japanese Language
Asahi.com
Bloomberg.co.jp
Chosun Ilbo
CNN
The Kyoto Shimbun
Mainichi Interactive
Nihon Keizai Shimbun
Nikkei 4946
Reuters
Sankei Web
Sankei Web News-Minute
The Sekai Nippon
The Tokyo Shimbun
Weekly Mag-Mag
Weekly Post
Yomiuri On-Line
Resource Links
English Language
Newspaper Index
Onlinenewspapers in Japan: Japanese Newspapers
News Aggregate Sites
English Language
1st Headlines
Asia Observer: Japan
InsideJapan
The Japan News.Net
Moreover: Japan news
NewsOnJapan.com
News.nabou.com
Tokyo Hello
Topix.net
Yahoo Japan news
Yahoo Asia News
Japanese Language
BIGLOBE News
Goo News
Google Japan
Infoseek News
Livedoor News
JWN (Japan Web News)
OCN News
Yahoo News Japan
Media News
English Language
CNET Asia
IT Media News
Japan Echo
Japan Inc
Japanese Journals
Kansai Window
Mobile Media Japan
NE Asia Online
Pressnet News
TIMEasia.com
Japanese Language
Apple Hot News
BCN (Business Computer News)
Bunka Tsushin
CNET Japan
Japan.internet.com
JNews.com
Shuppan News
Tokyo News
ZDNet Japan
Streaming News Sites
English Language
Yomiuri On-Line News Stream
Japanese Language
Nikkei Broadband News
VideoNews.comYahoo News Japan video news
Yomiuri On-Line News Stream
Broadcast News Source Sites
English Language
Fuji-TV: FNN-News.com
NHK
Radio Japan
TBS
Japanese Language
ANN (Asahi News Network)
Fuji TV: FNN-News.com
NNN: NNN24.com
NTV: News Plus 1
TBS: TBS-i TBS: News23
TV Tokyo: NMS (News Morning Satellite)
University News Sites
English Language
Keio University
Waseda Weekly
Japanese Language
Kobe University
Nihon University
UNN News.com (University News Network Kansai)
Waseda Weekly
Blog/Community News Sites
English Language
Japan NewsTrove.com
Japanese Language
2channel News
Chottonews
SEM/SEO News
Slashdot Japan
TanakaNews.com
Miscellaneous
English Language
AdAge.com
JCN Network
Metropolis
OneWorld.net
Silicon Valley.com
TheFeature