Chicago Shimpo
Encyclopedia
The , published by Chicago Shimpo, Inc. (シカゴ新報社 Shikago Shinpō-sha), is a Japanese-American newspaper published in Chicago
, Illinois
. As of 1995 it was published twice weekly. Its offices are located in Albany Park
, Chicago. The Chicago Shimpo, which publishes articles in Japanese
and English
, is the only Japanese-American newspaper in the Chicago media market.
, created the Chicago Shimpo after his release. The newspaper was first published on November 15, 1945, and in 1947 the newspaper added English language pages. Kohachiro Sugimoto, who had joined the Chicago Shimpo in 1950 as the newspaper's business manager, became the newspaper's owner and publisher in 1966. In 1981 Fuji retired. Frank T. Sugano took over the publication; the Chicago Shimpo would have ceased publication if Sugano had not taken over the newspaper, because there was no designated successor to Fuji. In 1982 Sugimoto retired. In 1994 Frank Sugano died, and Akiko Sugano, his wife, took control of the newspaper. At that time Arthur Morimitsu was the newspaper's second in command.
By 1995, assimilation and a decrease in size of the ethnic Japanese community in Chicago
reduced the community's demand for a Japanese-language newspaper, causing the Chicago Shimpo to struggle. The newspaper had trouble with finances during the decade leading into 1995. During the year of 1995, the newspaper circulation had stagnated at 5,000, and Sugano was unable to find a buyer for the newspaper. As of the same year, the largest group of readers of the Chicago Shimpo were located in Heiwa Terrace, a retirement home in the north side of Chicago that catered to Japanese Americans. Michael A. Lev of the Chicago Tribune
said "Paradoxically, what has been good news for the Japanese-Americans the paper crusaded for has ultimately been bad news for the paper, which has written itself into near irrelevance."
Akiko Sugano decreased the newspaper's time lag in order to attract younger people, including Japanese citizens working at Chicago area firms. Issues previously discussed events that occurred months before publication, while after Sugano's fixes, the newspaper had a time lag of one week. In addition Akiko Sugano also added discussions of contemporary topics, including the internet
.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. As of 1995 it was published twice weekly. Its offices are located in Albany Park
Albany Park, Chicago
Albany Park is one of 77 well-defined Chicago, Illinois, community areas on the Northwest Side of the City of Chicago. It includes the Albany Park neighborhood, one of the most ethnically diverse in the United States...
, Chicago. The Chicago Shimpo, which publishes articles in Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, is the only Japanese-American newspaper in the Chicago media market.
History
Ryoichi Fuji, who had been placed in an internment camp in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, created the Chicago Shimpo after his release. The newspaper was first published on November 15, 1945, and in 1947 the newspaper added English language pages. Kohachiro Sugimoto, who had joined the Chicago Shimpo in 1950 as the newspaper's business manager, became the newspaper's owner and publisher in 1966. In 1981 Fuji retired. Frank T. Sugano took over the publication; the Chicago Shimpo would have ceased publication if Sugano had not taken over the newspaper, because there was no designated successor to Fuji. In 1982 Sugimoto retired. In 1994 Frank Sugano died, and Akiko Sugano, his wife, took control of the newspaper. At that time Arthur Morimitsu was the newspaper's second in command.
By 1995, assimilation and a decrease in size of the ethnic Japanese community in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
reduced the community's demand for a Japanese-language newspaper, causing the Chicago Shimpo to struggle. The newspaper had trouble with finances during the decade leading into 1995. During the year of 1995, the newspaper circulation had stagnated at 5,000, and Sugano was unable to find a buyer for the newspaper. As of the same year, the largest group of readers of the Chicago Shimpo were located in Heiwa Terrace, a retirement home in the north side of Chicago that catered to Japanese Americans. Michael A. Lev of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
said "Paradoxically, what has been good news for the Japanese-Americans the paper crusaded for has ultimately been bad news for the paper, which has written itself into near irrelevance."
Akiko Sugano decreased the newspaper's time lag in order to attract younger people, including Japanese citizens working at Chicago area firms. Issues previously discussed events that occurred months before publication, while after Sugano's fixes, the newspaper had a time lag of one week. In addition Akiko Sugano also added discussions of contemporary topics, including the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
.
External links
- "Shicago shinpo = The Chicago shimpo." Chicago Public LibraryChicago Public LibraryThe Chicago Public Library is the public library system that serves the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 79 branches, including a central library, two regional libraries, and branches distributed throughout the city....
. - "IX. Newspapers." Yushodo.