12.31.03
Arabic Satellite Network Al-Jazeera to Open Tokyo Bureau

From Kyodo News via The Japan Times: Arabic satellite TV station Al-Jazeera, internationally known for its coverage of U.S.-led military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, will open a bureau in Tokyo in February. It will be the broadcaster's second office in Asia after Beijing. The bureau, approved in September, will be headed by Moroccan native and Asian security expert Rezrazi El-Mostafa. El-Mostafa has lived in Japan for more than 10 years and will manage a staff of five. He said that after news in Iraq subsides, North Korea will become a major news story.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Shellie Branco
<Go to story>

12.19.03
Japanese Government to Improve "911" Call Technology for Internet Phones

From The Japan Times: Japan's National Police Agency has started looking for technology to make emergency calls by dialing 110 (the equivalent of 911 in the United States) on Internet protocol telephones. While IP phone users have increased in Japan with the advance in broadband communications, receiving emergency calls via 110 has remained difficult for law enforcement because of unstable connections and the inability to track callers' locations. According to the NPA, security measures to prevent illegal access and viruses should be incorporated before the system can be connected with the Internet. The agency expects to run test operations this year.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
<Go to story>

12.17.03
Opinion: Internet Security Fears Plagued Japan in 2003

Via The Asahi Shimbun: The light and shadow of the Japanese Internet marked 2003, reflects Ikuro Saito from the magazine Asahi Pasokon. While the number of broadband connections in the nation exceeded 10 million this year, many feared personal information leaks on the Net and insecure file exchanges. Such security issues, including various computer viruses, brought much public attention, he added. Saito predicts that "problematic e-mails" will go beyond annoying spam and become a greater Internet security issue in Japan. Credit card scams have increased overseas and there will be a copycat in Japan any minute, he said. Saito added that it is necessary to build a security system for Internet users, especially in an era when digital home electronics are increasingly connected to the Web.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
(Link expired)

12.17.03
Major Japanese Publisher, Cell Phone Operator Back Out of AOL Japan

From Denmark's BizReport: Cell phone giant NTT DoCoMo said it is nixing plans to partner with AOL and is selling its share of AOL Japan. Three other companies -- including newspaper publisher Nihon Keizai Shimbun -- also will sell their stock. DoCoMo and the Japanese arm of America Online reportedly differed over how DoCoMo AOL would be "marketed, branded and managed." Silicon.com reports that AOL's dwindling subscriber numbers and declining revenues may have led to the break, not to mention the relatively few AOL subscribers in Japan.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Shellie Branco
<Go to story>

12.16.03
Channel 2 Is Yahoo Japan's Most Searched Keyword of 2003

Via The Miami Herald: Japan's leading Internet portal, Yahoo Japan, announced that popular Internet bulletin board Channel 2 was this year's most accessed keyword on its search engine, reports Kyodo News International. Yahoo Japan ranked keywords typed on its site from Jan. 1 to Dec. 17. According to the company, mega search engine Google was the second most popular keyword, while Web-based e-mail service Hotmail ranked third.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
(Link expired)

12.15.03
Trial Service Begins for NTT DoCoMo and Sony E-Wallet Technology

Via USA Today: NTT DoCoMo and Sony have launched a trial service that allows Japanese to use their cell phones as e-wallets and personal ID, reports the Associated Press. Sony FeliCa smart cards embedded in NTT DoCoMo phones communicate with payment machines at such locations as arcades, movie theaters and concert venues. The trial will continue until next summer.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Shellie Branco
(Link expired)

12.15.03
Telecom Ministry Launches Center to Combat Cyber Terrorism

From the Mainichi Shimbun: The Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications will launch a new center aimed at preventing the nation from frequent computer viruses and cyber terrorism. The "Information Security Center" will develop new technologies to solve network-related problems. The ministry said it will strengthen existing information security technologies with help from private corporations. The center will be closely linked to Telecom Information Sharing and Analysis Center Japan, universities and other research centers for instant information exchanges and labor support.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
(Link expired)

12.11.03
Japanese Journalism Association Rebuffs EU Calls to Nix "Unfair" Press Clubs

From The Japan Times: The Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association last week defended Japan's "press club" system, saying the European Union's criticism of the system is "based on misunderstanding, biases and misperception of facts." The EU last year asked Japan to abolish the press club system, saying it is an unfair barrier to free trade of information.

In Japan, most press conferences aren't open to all journalists: Instead, every official agency has a press club, and only reporters who are members of each press club can attend press conferences held by each agency. Only journalists from one of 20 or so major domestic media outlets are admitted to most of Japan's press clubs. Often freelancers and foreign media aren't allowed to join.

In a statement released Dec. 10, the association said Japan's press club system helps journalists get information from "reluctant" government sources. Officials said the association will work to make press clubs more open to all reporters.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
<Go to story>

12.11.03
Software Resizes Adobe Acrobat, Other Files for Cell Phone Screens

From CNETAsia: Japanese electronics company Sharp has developed a new program that allows cell phone users to view business documents created in Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The Electronic Document Display System converts and trims documents for tiny cell phone screens. It also includes zoom-in and zoom-out viewing. BitFlash, a Canadian company, helped develop the software, which will be available on the new Sharp phone sold through Vodafone in Japan.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
<Go to story>

12.09.03
Bank Chairman Who Admitted Wiretapping Resigns

From The Japan Times: The founder and chairman of a major Japanese loan company resigned this week after admitting he ordered subordinates to wiretap a freelance journalist's phone. "The series of wiretaps under investigation by law enforcement authorities was carried out under my order, and I take full responsibility and deeply apologize," Yasuo Takei said in a letter read at a news conference at the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Takei was arrested Dec. 2.

Takefuji Corp. had earlier denied Takei was involved; officials said the company had no knowledge of the wiretapping, which allegedly took place from December 2000 to February 2001. Takei may also be charged in connection with another wiretapping incident involving another journalist.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Shellie Branco
<Go to story>

12.08.03
Survey: Most Japanese Fear Personal Information Is Leaked Online

From The Japan Times: According to the Japanese Cabinet Office's recent survey on the protection of personal information, 69 percent of Japanese are concerned that their personal information could be leaked from public administrations and private corporations. An overwhelming number of the 3,000 respondents attributed their fears to both the rapid growth of the Internet and the increased use of computers to store personal information. The survey results also indicate that people in their 20s and 30s are especially concerned about unauthorized disclosure of information. The percentage of people who expressed distrust went up from 39.8 percent since a similar survey conducted in 1989, despite a privacy protection law passed in May. More than 61 percent worried that their personal information is collected without their knowledge, compared with some 40 percent in the previous survey. Many mentioned they doubt private firms protect their personal information. Others said they think companies deal with personal data without "sufficient care."
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
<Go to story>

12.03.03
Corporate Chief Arrested in Reporter Wiretapping Case

The chairman of a major Japanese consumer loan company suspected of involvement in the illegal wiretapping of a journalist's phone line has been arrested, according to The Asahi Shimbun. Two Takefuji Corp. officials were arrested previously on the same charge in November, but spokesmen for the company denied allegations that chairman Yasuo Takei had been involved. Police arrested Takei based on evidence found at Takefuji and on the confessions of one arrested official who claimed that Takei ordered the wiretapping. Investigators said they seized official Takefuji documents with Takei's seal stamped on them, authorizing payments to the investigative agency in charge of the wiretapping.
 -- By Japan Media Review Contributing Writer Helen Baek
(Link expired)

12.03.03
Virgin Radio to Launch in Japan

Britain-based Virgin Radio will launch its station in Japan within a year, reports Britain's Digital Spy. A spokesman for Virgin Radio said the Virgin group always planned to develop radio in foreign markets where its brand could be advertised. The stations are considered "stepping stones" for building the brand name. Virgin will also launch in Australia and already has radio stations in the United States, China, France, and Thailand as well as in the United Kingdom.
 -- By Japan Media Review Contributing Writer Helen Baek
<Go to story>

12.03.03
Japan Plans Multibillion-Dollar Project to Connect Asia Via Broadband

Japan has proposed to the United Nations its plans to build a broadband network along railways and highways across Asia by 2010, according to South Korean publication The Electronic Times Internet. Hoping to become the information technology center for the world, one of Japan's goals for the "Asia Broadband Platform" is to create experts and researchers at regional levels. Japan plans to inject $15 billion into the program by 2005.
 -- By Japan Media Review Contributing Writer Helen Baek
(Link expired)

12.02.03
On Heels of Bribery Scandal, TV Network Caught Staging News

The Nippon Television Network allegedly staged a lobster fishing show for a news program, buying lobsters after the fishing trip ended unsatisfactorily, reports the Mainichi Daily News.  In the 20-minute feature produced by an outside source, a fisherman famous for his lobster-catching skills was supposed to find lobsters that had just shed their shells. When that failed, staff reportedly bought lobsters from a fish store and put them in the nets to simulate a catch. This is not the first time NTV has been caught in a scandal. Over the summer, a producer for the network allegedly paid viewers to boost ratings.
 -- By Japan Media Review Contributing Writer Sunny Yu
(Link expired)

12.02.03
Digital Broadcasts Kick Off in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka

Terrestrial digital broadcasts started Dec. 1 in parts of Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, providing vivid pictures and interactive programs, The Asahi Shimbun reports. Potential viewers are estimated at 12 million households, but the actual number may be only 300,000, in part due to poor reception caused by Japan's geography, adds Australian paper The Age. The government has a 2006 target date for digital availability across the country and plans to replace analog by 2011, despite the slow start. In addition to clearer images and improved sound quality, digital broadcasts can allow viewer participation with surveys, and show headlines and weather reports based on the viewer's location.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
<Go to story>

12.01.03
Death of Japanese Diplomats in Iraq Spurs Mixed Reactions From Media

Japanese newspapers varied in their reactions to the killing of two Japanese diplomats last month in an ambush near Tikrit, Iraq, reports BBC News. Newspapers ranged from criticizing the Japanese government and its plans to further "squander Japanese diplomatic assets" to showing staunch support for the government sending of Japanese troops to help in the reconstruction efforts in Iraq. The Asahi Shimbun used the event to question whether the Japanese Self Defense forces should go to Iraq at all, while Nihon Keizai Shimbun supported deployment despite pressure on the government to not send troops.
 -- By Japan Media Review Contributing Writer Helen Baek
<Go to story>