Norimitsu Onishi
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese Canadian journalist
. He currently heads the Southeast Asia
bureau of the New York Times.
, Chiba Prefecture
, Japan
. At the age of four, Onishi and his family immigrated to Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
. He attended Princeton University
and served as the chief editor of the student newspaper.
Onishi was a reporter for The Detroit Free Press from 1992 until 1993. In December 1993, he joined The New York Times
where he began as police reporter from January to July 1994 and city weekly reporter from July 1994 to March 1995. He went on to become the Queens
bureau chief from March 1995 to September 1997 and later the West Africa
bureau chief until October 1998.
Onishi became the Tokyo
bureau chief for the Times in August 2003. In 2008, he was transferred to head the Southeast Asia bureau in Jakarta
; Martin Fackler
succeeded him as chief of the Tokyo bureau.
In his New York Times article, "Letter from Asia; Japan and China: National Character Writ Large,"
Onishi compared the Japanese method of transliteration to that of the Chinese, noting that Japanese has a special character set called katakana
to express foreign words and names and to label them clearly as foreign, while in Chinese, non-Chinese names are depicted entirely in standard Chinese characters. Speculating on the origins of the different writing approaches, he suggested that the origin lay in the historical identities of the cultures, namely the inward-looking island nation of Japan in contrast to the historical Chinese cultural explanation of themselves as 'the center of the world,' as expressed in the country's name, the "Center Kingdom". Onishi criticized the practice of using katakana when writing the names of naturalized citizens of Japanese descendants, although their names could be written in the Japanese-style Chinese characters kanji
. This established custom marks people as "not truly Japanese." The article has been criticized because of the difficulty of identifying kanji to associate with the name of someone coming from a linguistic background which uses Roman letters and katakana are also used in a number of other situations to mark something as special, rather like italics and scare quotes are used in English.
Another article , "Letter from Asia: Why Japan Seems Content to Be Run by One Party" provoked an official objection statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan for being "an incorrect article." In it, Norimitsu referred to Japan's democracy as an "illusion," comparing its government to that of North Korea
and China
.
His article on December 17, 2006, "Japan Rightists Fan Fury Over North Korea Abductions," was also criticized by Kyoko Nakayama
, Tokyo Special adviser to the Japanese Prime Minister on Abduction. Thomas H. Snitch, a former professor of American University
and the president of Little Falls Associates, Inc. also mentioned that Onishi's coverage on Japan's effort to deal with the issue of the North Korean abductions of Japanese
is based on his political bias. Some Japanese conservatives claim that Onishi is a naturalized Japanese citizen of Korean descent.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. He currently heads the Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
bureau of the New York Times.
Career
Onishi was born in IchikawaIchikawa, Chiba
is a city located in northwest Chiba, Japan, approximately 20 kilometers from the center of Tokyo. The city was founded on November 3, 1934. As of January 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 474,586 and a density of 8,259.42 persons per km². The total area is 57.46 km²...
, Chiba Prefecture
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. At the age of four, Onishi and his family immigrated to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He attended Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and served as the chief editor of the student newspaper.
Onishi was a reporter for The Detroit Free Press from 1992 until 1993. In December 1993, he joined The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
where he began as police reporter from January to July 1994 and city weekly reporter from July 1994 to March 1995. He went on to become the Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
bureau chief from March 1995 to September 1997 and later the West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
bureau chief until October 1998.
Onishi became the Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
bureau chief for the Times in August 2003. In 2008, he was transferred to head the Southeast Asia bureau in Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
; Martin Fackler
Martin Fackler
Dr. Martin L. Fackler is a retired Colonel in the US Army's Medical Corps, he was a battlefield surgeon, and the head of the Wound Ballistics Laboratory for the US Army’s Medical Training Center, Letterman Institute....
succeeded him as chief of the Tokyo bureau.
Criticism
Some critics, especially conservatives in Japan such as Kohyu Nishimura and Yoshihisa Komori, accuse Onishi's leftist perspective of having a strong "anti-Japan" bias, which, they suggest, helps foster a vilified image of Japan abroad.In his New York Times article, "Letter from Asia; Japan and China: National Character Writ Large,"
Onishi compared the Japanese method of transliteration to that of the Chinese, noting that Japanese has a special character set called katakana
Katakana
is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji, and in some cases the Latin alphabet . The word katakana means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana scripts are derived from components of more complex kanji. Each kana represents one mora...
to express foreign words and names and to label them clearly as foreign, while in Chinese, non-Chinese names are depicted entirely in standard Chinese characters. Speculating on the origins of the different writing approaches, he suggested that the origin lay in the historical identities of the cultures, namely the inward-looking island nation of Japan in contrast to the historical Chinese cultural explanation of themselves as 'the center of the world,' as expressed in the country's name, the "Center Kingdom". Onishi criticized the practice of using katakana when writing the names of naturalized citizens of Japanese descendants, although their names could be written in the Japanese-style Chinese characters kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
. This established custom marks people as "not truly Japanese." The article has been criticized because of the difficulty of identifying kanji to associate with the name of someone coming from a linguistic background which uses Roman letters and katakana are also used in a number of other situations to mark something as special, rather like italics and scare quotes are used in English.
Another article , "Letter from Asia: Why Japan Seems Content to Be Run by One Party" provoked an official objection statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan for being "an incorrect article." In it, Norimitsu referred to Japan's democracy as an "illusion," comparing its government to that of North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
His article on December 17, 2006, "Japan Rightists Fan Fury Over North Korea Abductions," was also criticized by Kyoko Nakayama
Kyoko Nakayama
is a Japanese politician of the Sunrise Party of Japan, formerly of the Liberal Democratic Party , Machimura Faction, and currently serving her first term as a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet...
, Tokyo Special adviser to the Japanese Prime Minister on Abduction. Thomas H. Snitch, a former professor of American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
and the president of Little Falls Associates, Inc. also mentioned that Onishi's coverage on Japan's effort to deal with the issue of the North Korean abductions of Japanese
North Korean abductions of Japanese
The abductions of Japanese citizens from Japan by agents of the North Korean government happened during a period of six years from 1977 to 1983. Although only 17 Japanese are officially recognized by the Japanese government as having been abducted, there may have been as many as 70 to 80...
is based on his political bias. Some Japanese conservatives claim that Onishi is a naturalized Japanese citizen of Korean descent.