CAMPUS JOURNALISM

THE JAPAN EXPERIENCE

OBJECTIVES:
THIS PRESENTATION AIMS TO:
• KNOW THE SCOPE OF THE MEDIA IN
JAPAN
• HOW THE MEDIA INFLUENCE THE MASS
• RELATE THE MASS STRUCTURE OF
JAPAN TO PHILIPPINES
• INTRODUCTION
THE PRINT AND BROADCAST MEDIA IN JAPAN HAVE
LONG BEEN INFLUENTIAL IN THE COUNTRY. ALTHOUGH
THEIR ACTIVITIES WERE LIMITED BY THE GOVERNMENT
UNTIL THE END OF WORLD WAR II AND WERE SUBJECT
TO CENSORSHIP DURING THE POST-WAR ALLIED
OCCUPATION, THEY CURRENTLY OPERATE IN AN
ATMOSPHERE OF CONSIDERABLE FREEDOM.
THE POST-WAR CLIMATE OF DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC
GROWTH FACILITATED A RAPID EXPANSION OF THE MASS
MEDIA. IN ADDITION, COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING BECAME AN
IMMENSE INDUSTRY, AND JAPAN EMERGED AS THE SECOND
LARGEST MARKET AFTER THE UNITED STATES.

TELEVISIONS AND NEWSPAPERS LONG WERE THE MOST

IMPORTANT ADVERTISING MEDIA, WITH MAGAZINE AND RADIO
ADVERTISING BEING LESS SIGNIFICANT; HOWEVER, INTERNET
ADVERTISING AND MARKETING HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT
INROADS.
JAPAN ACHIEVED REMARKABLE ECONOMIC EXPANSION IN
THE AFTERMATH OF WWII WITH HUGE ADVANCES IN
AUTOMOBILES AND CONSUMER ELECTRONICS, RISING
FROM DEVASTATION TO ITS PLACE AS THE THIRD-LARGEST
COUNTRY IN THE WORLD BY NOMINAL GDP. IN RECENT
YEARS, IT HAS BEEN OVERSHADOWED BY CHINA’S RAPID
GROWTH, MOUNTING PUBLIC DEBT, AND WEAK
RELATIONS WITH NEIGHBORS. NONETHELESS, IT IS STILL A
POWERHOUSE AND LEADER IN A NUMBER OF INDUSTRIES
AND HAS CEMENTED ITS POSITION AS ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT COUNTRIES IN ASIA.
JAPAN IS AN ECONOMICALLY MATURE MARKET FAMOUS
FOR ITS HIGH-QUALITY GOODS AND SERVICES, BUT IT IS
ALSO A HIGHLY TRADITIONAL MARKET BUILT ON SOCIAL
HIERARCHIES, LONG-STANDING CUSTOMS, AND OLDER
LEADERS. SIMILAR TO CHINA, IGNORING THE STATUS QUO
AND POOR COMMUNICATION OFTEN LEAD TO LONG-TERM
CONSEQUENCES AND MAJOR LOSSES. CONSUMERS HAVE A
MODERATE LEVEL OF DISPOSABLE INCOME AND JAPAN
BOASTS THE THIRD HIGHEST NUMBER OF MILLIONAIRES
IN THE WORLD AT 2.8 MILLION.
 DISCUSSION:
MONITORING MECHANISMS
THE PRESS
A.THE PRESS

A NEWSPAPER ETHICAL STANDARDS MONITORING CHAMBER SET UP UNDER THE CANON

OF JOURNALISM, MONITORS ALL MEMBER NEWSPAPERS OF NIPPON SHIMBUN KYOKAI OR
NSK (THE LEADING ASSOCIATION OF NEWSPAPER EDITORS AND PUBLISHERS, AS FAR
BACK AS 1946) EVERY DAY FOR THEIR COMPLIANCE WITH THE CANON AND WITH THE
NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING CODE OF ETHICS. IF THEY FIND ANY NEWS ITEM, ARTICLE OR
ADVERTISEMENT WHICH APPEAR TO CONTRAVENE THE RELEVANT STANDARDS, THEY
REFER THE MATTER TO THE EDITORIAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE (A BODY COMPRISING
MANAGING EDITORS) OR TO THE ADVERTISING COMMITTEE (CONSISTING OF SENIOR
ADVERTISING EDITORS), AS THE CASE MAY BE. WHERE THE ALLEGED CONTRAVENTION
IS AFFIRMED, A WARNING MAY BE ISSUED TO THE OFFENDING NEWSPAPER. IF THE
NEWSPAPER FAILS TO HEAD THE WARNING, ITS MEMBERSHIP OF THE NSK MAY BE
SUSPENDED, OR, IN AN EXTREME CASE, IT MAY BE EXPELLED FROM THE ASSOCIATION.
THE ASSOCIATION FOR MASS MEDIA ETHICS (FORMED IN
TOKYO IN 1955) TOOK IT UPON ITSELF TO BRING TOGETHER
ALL SMALLER PROFESSIONAL BODIES THROUGHOUT THE
COUNTRY FOR A NATIONAL CONFERENCE EVERY YEAR. THIS
FORUM EXPANDED IN 1958 WITH THE FORMATION OF THE
NATIONAL COUNCIL TO PROMOTE ETHICS IN THE MASS
MEDIA. TODAY, IT CONSISTS OF 10 DISTRICT ASSOCIATIONS
AND 10 MEDIA-RELATED ORGANIZATIONS WHICH SERVE TO
PROVIDE THE NECESSARY COORDINATION FOR ALL THE
PROFESSIONAL GROUPS WITHIN THE JAPANESE MEDIA.
The NSK has also adopted a code of ethics for
advertising which is aimed inter alia, at maintaining and
enhancing the credibility of newspaper advertising. It
based on three principles:
 that advertising should be truthful;
 that is should not damage the dignity of a newspaper;
and
 that it should not infringe any law.
ELECTRONIC MEDIA
B. Electronic Media
The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications has the
exclusive right to issue licenses for broadcasting, both
radio and television.
The legal framework for television broadcasting in
Japan is contained in the Broadcast Law, and for radio
broadcasting in the Radio Law.
 The premiere national public broadcasting
organization, Nippon Hoso Kyokai or NHK which is
mentioned by name in the Broadcast Law established
its own Standards of Domestic Broadcast
Programmes.
 Private commercial broadcasters, on the other hand,
follow guidelines on broadcasting standards issued
by their trade body, the Japan Federation of
Commercial Broadcasters.
 At the professional level, the National
Association of Commercial Broadcasters in
Japan (NAB) has promulgated a set of
Broadcast Standards lays down in
considerable detail specific guidelines that its
members are expected to follow in the
treatment of such issues as human rights,
law and politics, family and society,
education, culture, crime, sex, and the effect
of television on children and youth.
The Broadcast Standard
Review Board set up by the
NAB in 1971 is responsible
for the enforcement of these
standards.
FILMS AND VIDEOS
C. Films and Videos
 Film companies adhere to a code promulgated by
the Administration Commission of Motion
Pictures (Eirin).
 Video producers follow a code administered by
the Japan Association of Video Ethics (Viderin).
In March 1994 these two bodies came together to
establish a joint monitoring
 The five main principles underlying ethical standards
for videos are
 Respect for human rights
 Respect for law, social order and morals
 Respect for family life and sex education
 Respect for universally accepted ideas and
consideration for minors, and
 Freedom of belief.
 The Ethics Council of Visual Images monitors all
genres of videos.
 Videos are classified into three groups
 For unrestricted exhibition;
 “R” rated, for exhibition to persons older than
junior high school level only; and
 For exhibition to persons older than 18 years of age
only.
• CENSORSHIP AND PRIVACY IN JAPAN
MOONLIGHT MASK,
THE GHOST PARTY STRIKES BACKEVEN
THOUGH NUDITY IS A COMMON SIGHT ON
LATE NIGHT TELEVISION, THERE ARE
LONG LISTS OF WORDS THAT CAN NOT BE
UTTERED ON JAPANESE TELEVISION OR
PRINTED IN JAPANESE NEWSPAPERS.
WHEN A PROHIBITED WORDS IS UTTERED
BY A GUEST ON A TALK SHOW A CHINESE
CHARACTER MEANING "PROHIBITED"
FLASHES OVER THE GUEST'S FACE AND A
BUZZER DROWNS OUT THE WORD.
D. Non-professional Monitors
 Readers, listeners, and viewers are also
encouraged to express their opinions directly to
newspaper companies or TV and radio stations
by fax or telephone. Some newspapers and
broadcasters even provide special columns or
programmes for this purpose.
REACTION
JAPAN AND PHILIPPINES ARE SOMEHOW SIMILAR ON THE STANDARDS IN
DELIVERING NEWS, SUCH AS, THE JOURNALISTS SHOULD ALWAYS CONVEY FACTS
ACCURATELY AND THEY SHOULD AVOID PERSONAL OPINIONS IN THEIR REPORTS.
IN ADDITION, JAPAN ALSO RESPECT THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE INDIVIDUALS,
WHICH THE PHILIPPINE MEDIA ALSO FOLLOWS. JAPAN’S MEDIA ORGANS
GENERALLY AVOID CONTROVERSY AND PARTISANSHIP, MAKING THE MAJOR
CONTENT NOT PUBLIC DISTRUST. JAPAN ACHIEVED REMARKABLE ECONOMIC
EXPANSION IN THE AFTERMATH OF WWII WITH HUGE ADVANCES IN AUTOMOBILES
AND ELECTRONICS. THE BROADCAST IN JAPAN IS HIGHLY REGULATED AND
CAREFUL NOT TO OFFEND THE RULING POLITICAL PARTY. FREEDOM OF SPEECH IS
GUARANTEED BY THE CONSTITUTION AS A HUMAN RIGHT, JAPAN’S HIGH LITERACY
SUSTAINED THE MASS MEDIA APPEAL.
CONCLUSION
UNLIKE MEDIA IN MANY OTHER DEVELOPED COUNTRIES, TRADITIONAL
MEDIA IN JAPAN SUCH AS NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES, TELEVISIONS
AND RADIOS ARE MORE INFLUENTIAL THAN THEIR ONLINE
COUNTERPARTS. LOOKING TODAY, JAPAN WOULD LIKELY USE MEDIA
TO PROMOTE AND DEVELOPMENT, NOT CONFLICTS. ADVANCES IN
COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY HAVE BROUGHT MANY CHANGES TO
EXISTING PRINT AND BROADCAST MEDIA. THE MEDIA SEEMS TO
COVER STORIES IN A WAY THAT SUPPORTS POLITICAL AGENDA OF
JAPAN LEADERS, CERTAIN SUBJECTS CANNOT BE CRITICIZED.