The Japan Times
Encyclopedia
The Japan Times is an English language
newspaper
published in Japan. Unlike its competitors, the Daily Yomiuri
and the International Herald Tribune
/Asahi Shimbun
, it is not affiliated with a Japanese language media organization. It is published by the , which is headquartered in the in Shibaura
, Minato, Tokyo
.
The Japan Times was launched by Motosada Zumoto in 1897 with the goal of giving Japanese an opportunity to read and discuss news and current events in English in order to help Japan to participate more fully in the international community.
At first, the paper was independent of government control, but from 1931 onward, the Japanese government was mounting pressure on the paper's editors to submit to its policies. In 1933, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs managed to appoint Hitoshi Ashida
, former Ministry official, as chief editor. During World War II, the newspaper served as an outlet for Imperial Japanese government propaganda and editorial opinion. The paper's circulation at that time was about 7,000.
Print
The Japan Times prints two newspapers, their English daily which runs around 16-24 pages, and their English weekly which is 20 pages(tabloid form) in length. Their content is organized into five sections:
.
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...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published in Japan. Unlike its competitors, the Daily Yomiuri
Yomiuri Shimbun
The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five national newspapers in Japan; the other four are the Asahi Shimbun, the Mainichi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and the Sankei Shimbun...
and the International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
/Asahi Shimbun
Asahi Shimbun
The is the second most circulated out of the five national newspapers in Japan. Its circulation, which was 7.96 million for its morning edition and 3.1 million for its evening edition as of June 2010, was second behind that of Yomiuri Shimbun...
, it is not affiliated with a Japanese language media organization. It is published by the , which is headquartered in the in Shibaura
Shibaura
is a district of Minato ward located in Tokyo, Japan. The district is located between the eastern side of the Yamanote Line train and Tokyo Bay.Shibaura is the home to a number of major Japanese corporations including Toshiba and Oki...
, Minato, Tokyo
Minato, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 1 March 2008, it had an official population of 217,335 and a population density of 10,865 persons per km². The total area is 20.34 km².Minato hosts 49 embassies...
.
- Motto: "All the News Without Fear or Favor", "The World's Window on Japan"
- Chairperson:
- Capital: ¥476,437,000 ($5,135,700; €3,781,000; £3,330,000)
- Business: Publishes The Japan Times, The Japan Times Weekly, Shukan ST bilingual weekly, books in English and Japanese
History
- 1897: Inaugural issue of The Japan Times (March 22)
- 1918: Name changed to The Japan Times and Mail
- 1940: Name changed to The Japan Times and Advertiser
- 1943: Name changed to Nippon Times
- 1951: First Issue of The Student Times (now Weekly STWeekly STWeekly ST is a weekly newspaper published by The Japan Times for learners of English language. It is originally titled as Student Times, but changed to the current one to reflect the fact that a significant portion of its readers are not students...
) weekly - 1961: The Japan Times Weekly inaugurated
- 1966: Moves from Uchisaiwai-chō, Chiyoda-ku, to new building in Shibaura, Minato-ku
- 1983: Toshiaki Ogasawara becomes the 18th president
- 1987: Opens full-time editorial bureau in Osaka
- 1989: New Japan Times-Nifco Building completed
- 1996: InterFMInterFM-See also:*The Japan Times* *TV Tokyo...
radio station was inaugurated - 1997: The Japan Times celebrates its centenary
- 2006: Yukiko Ogasawara becomes the 19th president
- 2007: Price raised from 150 yen to 180 yen (October 1)
At first, the paper was independent of government control, but from 1931 onward, the Japanese government was mounting pressure on the paper's editors to submit to its policies. In 1933, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs managed to appoint Hitoshi Ashida
Hitoshi Ashida
was a Japanese politician who served as the 47th Prime Minister of Japan from March 10 to October 15, 1948. He was a prominent figure in the immediate postwar political landscape, but was forced to resign his leadership responsibilities after a corruption scandal targeting two of his cabinet...
, former Ministry official, as chief editor. During World War II, the newspaper served as an outlet for Imperial Japanese government propaganda and editorial opinion. The paper's circulation at that time was about 7,000.
- News: includes Nation, Business, and Tohoku-Kanto earthquake news
- Opinion: includes EditorialEditorialAn opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
s, Op-EdOp-edAn op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...
s and Letters to the EditorLetter to the editorA letter to the editor is a letter sent to a publication about issues of concern from its readers. Usually, letters are intended for publication...
. - Life in Japan: includes life and style, community, media, technology, food and drink, travel, environment, education, cartoons
- Entertainment: includes film, art, music, stage, books, event previews, festival listing
- Sports: includes World cup, Olympics, baseball, soccer, basketball, figure skating, Sumo
Web
The Japan Time's newsprint stories are archived on their online site. While their print section contains a reader's forum, their website does not currently offer a section for reader's comments below the articles. The Japan Times has begun service on both Twitter and Facebook.Regular contributors
- Debito Arudou
- Philip Brasor
- Sir Hugh CortazziHugh CortazziSir Arthur Henry Hugh Cortazzi, GCMG is a British diplomat. Best known as Hugh Cortazzi, he is also a distinguished international businessman, academic, author and prominent Japanologist...
- Matthew Larking, Art critic
- Donald RichieDonald RichieDonald Richie is an American-born author who has written about the Japanese people and Japanese cinema. Although he considers himself only a writer, Richie has directed many experimental films, the first when he was 17...
- Mark Schilling, Film reviewer
- Peter Vescey, Sports columnist
- Robbie Swinnerton, Restaurant reviewer
- Giovanni Fazio, Film reviewer
- Judit Kawaguchi
- Daniel Robson
- Kaori Shoji, Film reviewer
Former contributors
- C.B. Liddell
- Monty DiPietro
- Don Maloney (author)Don Maloney (author)Donald J. Maloney was an American author, best-known for his writings about his life as an American businessman in Japan during the 1970s.Maloney graduated from the Syracuse University School of Journalism in 1948...
- Edward SeidenstickerEdward SeidenstickerEdward George Seidensticker was a noted scholar and translator of Japanese literature. He was particularly known for his English version of The Tale of Genji , which is counted among the preferred modern translations...
- Fred Varcoe
- Robert YellinRobert YellinRobert Yellin is an American Japanese ceramics specialist who has regularly written for several publications. Yellin currently resides in Japan where he has been living since 1984. He owns and runs Robert Yellin Yakimono Gallery in Mishima City, Shizuoka Prefecture in addition to an informational...
, wrote the quarterly feature "Ceramic Scene" for ten years
Employee unions
Staff at The Japan Times are represented by two unions, one of which is TozenTozen
' is a Japanese labor union. Known as the Tokyo General Union, or , was formed in 2010, and is one of few foreign-led multiethnic unions in Japan...
.