03.30.04
Media Hit Again; Major Japanese Publisher Loses Defamation Case

From Kyodo News via Japan Today: Shinchosha Co., a leading publishing company, was ordered by the Tokyo District Court on March 29 to pay $42,000 to a former official from Belarus' Japanese Embassy and apologize for a magazine story that accused him of paying for sex. According to ruling Judge Yoshiteru Kawamura, the article didn't "back up the testimony of those concerned," writes Kyodo News. Recently, several publishing companies have been accused of defamation and invasion of privacy. Another publishing company, Bungei Shunju, recently defended itself against a publication injunction, stating that the public had a right to know about the private lives of well-known individuals. (See also Week In Review 03.22.04.) The injunction was against an article in Shukan Bunshun, a weekly magazine, which exposed the personal life of the daughter of former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka. The publisher argued that the daughter was not a private citizen because her mother is a public figure. In another case, the son of a famous Japanese baseball player said his privacy would be violated if weekly magazine Shukan Shincho published an article with details on struggles in his personal life. (See Week in Review 03.24.04.)
 -- By Japan Media Review Contributing Writer Sunny Yu
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03.29.04
Foreign Affairs Ministry: Press Conferences to Be Opened to Foreign Media

From Agence France-Presse via EU Business: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement announcing that foreign journalists will be allowed to participate in press conferences in Japan organized by exclusive press clubs. This is the ministry's response to two years of demands by the European Union that Japan amend its strict press club system. According to the statement, the ministry requested that official organizations permit foreign news reporters with Foreign Press Registration Cards to attend both central and local government press conferences -- the question is whether press clubs will comply. The ministry wrote in its statement that this major decision will "help promote dissemination of accurate information on Japan." In the past, news conferences conducted by press clubs have generally been closed to journalists outside of Japan. Some clubs allowed foreign journalists to attend a small number of press conferences, but only if they reserved a seat and agreed not to ask questions. (See also Week in Review 02.22.04.)
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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03.25.04
Court Permits Online News Headlines to Be Copied

From Mainichi Daily News: The Tokyo District Court ruled on March 24 that copyright does not apply to online news headlines in a Yomiuri Shimbun case against an Internet company. The decision is the first in the country concerning copyright infringement for Web headlines. Yomiuri Shimbun had sued Digital Alliance, arguing that original and minimally modified headlines from the newspaper were appearing on Digital Alliance's site without authorization. Presiding Judge Toshiaki Iimura of the district court concluded that the duplication of headlines "that are open to the public on the Internet" without permission is not a copyright violation, based on the notion that "headlines ... cannot be described as creative expression." A Yomiuri representative said the newspaper would appeal.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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03.25.04
Japanese Magazines Argue for Freedom of the Press After Court Injunction

From The Asahi Shimbun: In the latest issue of weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun, the magazine's publishing company Bungei Shunju argued against a recent court injunction against it, backed by some 30 media supporters. The Tokyo District Court demanded the publishing company cease publication of an article depicting the private life of the daughter of former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka. Shukan Bunshun's editor in chief, Seigo Kimata, announced his personal statement on the controversy in the latest magazine. "We are experiencing major concerns that we will not be able to provide readers with independent investigative reporting as in the past if the courts can virtually 'censor' articles beforehand and prohibit the sale of magazines on the grounds of libel or protecting privacy," Kimata wrote. Bungei Shunju has gained many allies after its court injunction case. Junji Asano, president of the Japan Magazine Publishers Association claimed that "the controversy could spell the end of magazine journalism in this country." The Japan Federation of Publishing Workers' Unions and the Japan P.E.N. Club also criticized the court's action. (See also Week in Review 03.22.04 and 03.24.04.)
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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03.25.04
Court Rules Filmmaker Must Pay for Altering Documentary

From The Asahi Shimbun: A Tokyo court on March 24 ordered a documentary filmmaker to pay $9,500 for altering a program it produced on sex slavery. An advocacy group, whose mock tribunal on sex crimes committed by Japanese soldiers during World War II was the subject of the documentary, had charged that the program betrayed the group by leaving out critical parts of the tribunal. The production company, Tokyo-based Documentary Japan, says it is not responsible because the editing was done by the program's broadcaster, NHK. The citizens group, Violence Against Women in War-Network Japan, had sought nearly $200,000 from both companies and other organizations. But the presiding judge in the case did not sanction NHK, noting "Broadcasters are free to produce programs by editing news materials (collected by production companies and others)." Asahi reports that the ruling could cause worry throughout the industry because it is not uncommon to run stories that do not meet the expectations of sources.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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03.24.04
Digital Television Broadcasting Will Be Aired Through Cell Phones

From Kyodo News via The Miami Herald: The world's first terrestrial digital television broadcasting service for cell phones will be offered by six Japanese broadcasters in April 2005. Analog broadcasts are already available on cell phones, but the quality has been unsatisfactory because of image distortion. The recently finalized agreement between the six broadcast companies and MPEG LA, an American firm in charge of rights to image compression, led to the launch of the new digital service by the six companies: public broadcaster Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) and the five private stations, Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. (TBS), Nippon Television Network Corp. (NTV), TV Asahi Corp., Fuji Television Network Inc., and Television Tokyo Ltd. Cell phone manufacturers and operators are eager to produce products accommodating the new digital broadcasts. Taro Aso, minister of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications, said the service will "revolutionize the pattern of viewing broadcasts and greatly contribute to the spread of terrestrial digital broadcasting as a whole."
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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03.24.04
Baseball Legend's Son Accuses Magazine of Violating Privacy

From the Mainichi Daily News: The second son of famous baseball player Shigeo Nagashima asked a magazine publisher not to release an upcoming magazine article about him. According to the son's lawyer, the story gives details about struggles in his personal life. Shinchosa, a leading publishing company in Japan, will still run the story in its next issue of Shukan Shincho, a weekly magazine. The son feels that this story would "violate his privacy and damage his reputation," according to a notice his lawyer sent Shinchosa. This incident is expected to become a big issue because it follows closely on the heels of a similar privacy case. Bungei Shunju, another top publishing company, has been issued an injunction by the Tokyo District Court banning publication of an article revealing personal details about the oldest daughter of former Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka. (See also Week in Review 03.22.04 and 03.25.04.)
 -- By Japan Media Review Contributing Writer Sunny Yu
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03.22.04
Analysis: Court Order to Pull Article on Politician's Daughter Sets Privacy Against Press Freedom

From The Asahi Shimbun: Press freedom and privacy protection were pitted against each other by an injunction forbidding a magazine from publishing details about the private life of a former foreign minister's daughter. The publisher, Bungei Shunju, appealed to the Tokyo High Court against the ban, arguing that the article is a public matter because she is a potential political successor to her mother, Makiko Tanaka. Makoto Sakai, a lawyer specializing in media law, insists that "being a daughter of a well-known politician alone does not put her in a public position." An article from The Japan Times reports that the magazine, which sold out at many newsstands before the ban took effect, gave details about the daughter's divorce for the first time. Some journalists worry that the injunction may discourage coverage of political figures, while others argue that the article serves no public interest. In similar privacy cases involving novels, films and magazine articles, the courts have leaned toward individual rights. (See also Week in Review 03.24.04 and 03.25.04.)
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Zhen Wang
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03.19.04
Justice Ministry to Review Controversial Site for Reporting Illegal Residents

From The Japan Times: After urging by humanitarian groups in Japan to abolish the Immigration Bureau's Web site for reporting suspected illegal residents, the Justice Ministry is expected to review the new online service. A section on the site asking informants to report their motives is being revised, under the criticism that some of the motive options (for example, that the alleged foreigner was causing anxiety) are irrelevant to legality, but intensify unfairness against foreigners. Following ministry confessions that the service "could be misleading," the Web site was modified with the note that it does not condone discrimination against foreigners. (See also Week in Review 02.21.04.)
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Zhen Wang
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03.17.04
"Manner Stickers" May Protect Against Unlawful Camera Phone Photos

From ITmedia Mobile: To fight against digital theft from illicit camera phone pictures, a company called AI has created an old-fashioned solution, "Manner Stickers," which are placed on -- and obscure -- cell phone camera lenses. Ryuji Tanaka, AI factory supervisor, created a way to "leave the typical residue from a peeled sticker in a 'void' pattern" that will signal a potential abuse. The residue can later be removed with a cleaning sticker, also made by AI. Company President Ichiro Akiyama explained how a museum, for example, could apply the sticker to visitors' cell phones upon entrance. Museum employees could search the phones' pictures at the end of the visit if they found evidence that the sticker had been tampered with or moved. Though cell phone companies have tried to solve the digital theft problem by adding a shutter sound when people take pictures, abusers have still found ways to mute the noise. With photo thieves stealing pictures everywhere from museums and bookstores to gyms and locker rooms, large corporations are already inquiring when they can buy the sticker, which is still in the testing phase.
 -- By Japan Media Review Contributing Writer Toru Takahashi
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Monthly Pressnet Newsletter: Ad Spending Declines; Among Media, Newspapers Hit Worst 

Via Pressnet's News Bulletin: The nation's biggest advertising agency, Dentsu Inc., announced that nationwide advertising spending in 2003 saw a 0.3 percent decline from the previous year, according to the report "Advertising Spending in Japan, 2003" (pdf). This is the first time since the company started the annual survey in 1947 that the report indicates three straight years of declines in advertising sales. In 2003 newspaper ad sales dropped 1.9 percent, while television and Internet-related ad sales showed growth from the previous year. The report also explains that total ad spending in the first half of 2003 plunged because of the war in Iraq and SARS, in addition to the country's recession. In contrast, the end of 2003 showed a slowing in the decline thanks to a constant increase in demand from consumers for digital electronics. Dentsu also predicts that in 2004, total ad spending in the nation will increase 2.3 percent, based on such factors as sales of digital electronics and broadband equipment.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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03.15.04
Japan, South Korea Launch World's First Satellite for In-Car, Mobile TV

From Bloomberg via Singapore's The Business Times: Toshiba Corp., Japan's largest laptop computer manufacturer, and South Korean cell phone operator SK Telecom launched a satellite on March 13 that can transmit digital TV to cell phones and car TVs in Japan and South Korea. The satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., and is the first of its kind. It can handle more than 100 channels and transmit data three times as fast as broadband. Toyota Motor Corp. and Samsung Electronics are among more than 200 companies behind the project.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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03.13.04
TV Asahi Report Prompts Outcry From Advocates for Mentally Disabled

From Mainichi Daily News: TV Asahi news program "News Station" has come under fire for a report about a government plan to reintegrate mentally disabled people from a national care facility back into their hometowns. The national care center in question, Nozominosono, is the target of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry's recommendation to transfer out several residents by 2008. Inclusion Japan, a support group for relatives of the mentally disabled, said in a statement that the station's Feb. 24 report insinuated that government recommendations for more community-based group homes for the mentally disabled were "against people's will." The organization said the report could provoke prejudice against the mentally disabled and requested that TV Asahi review the report. In response to the outcry, a TV Asahi representative said "News Station" reported that communities needed time to prepare for the change, adding that they didn't mean to "(give) an impression that disabled people were better off living in care homes for the rest of their lives."
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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03.11.04
Japan Accounts for Half of Camera Phone Market, Report Shows

From Wireless Week: Japanese consumers bought half of all camera phones sold in 2003, according to a report from InfoTrends Research Group. But worldwide shipments of the popular handsets have risen dramatically as the Japanese market is showing signs of saturation, meaning that Japan's market will likely recede. Worldwide, camera phone sales are expected to double this year. The report predicts 150 million camera phones will be sold in 2004, up from 70 million last year. Japan's early adoption of camera phones is attributed in part to the fact that it was the first country to build out true 3G networks, which facilitate high-bandwidth applications such as sending images. Also, the Japanese affinity for the latest gadgets contributed to the boom.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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03.11.04
Major Japanese Bank to Add Sony "Smart Card" Technology to Cash Cards

From The Asahi Shimbun: The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi plans to adopt a multifunctioning credit and debit card embedded with Sony "smart card" technology as early as this fall. The cardholder can use it at a conventional ATM or, because of its Sony FeliCa smart card components, swipe it in front of a sensor to make a purchase at a store. Smart cards are being embedded in cell phones on a trial basis -- East Japan Railway Co. now allows customers to purchase train tickets with their handsets. (See Week in Review 12.15.03) The multifunctional bank cards may become more secure than their old magnetic counterparts because of plans to add personal ID protection features to the smart card. The cost of converting ATMs, however, is a setback to the bank card's widespread adoption. Sony Corp., German chipmaker Infineon Technologies AG, Visa International and Dai Nippon Printing Co. developed the new bank card.
 -- By Japan Media Review Contributing Writer Tim Yamamura
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03.10.04
Japan Sees Birth of Mobile Novels

From Japan Information Network's Trends in Japan: Novels made expressly for mobile phones are growing in popularity among young people in Japan. Authors are packaging their writings for display on mobile phones and distributing them on the Web, making it possible to bypass editors and publishing houses. One popular novel created for this new medium has gone on to be published in print, selling a million copies, and is now being made into a film. The teen love story "Deep Love" was posted to a Web site in installments. A challenge to the mobile novelist is the limitation on how much text most phones can receive at a time: 1,600 characters. The author of "Deep Love," who goes by the pen name Yoshi, turned this constraint into an advantage by keeping the writing concise and the story moving.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Eric Ulken
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03.10.04
Japanese Media in Iraq Again Warned of Possible Terrorist Attack

From Kyodo News via Japan Today: A government source said on March 9 that Japan has received "a specific piece of information" regarding a potential terrorist attack in Samawah, Iraq, where Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers are stationed, Kyodo News reports. Japanese troops have been there since January to assist in the reconstruction of the city. The Japanese Foreign Ministry has ordered a travel advisory for media covering Japanese troops.

The warning comes amid increasing tension between the media and both the Japanese government and Iraqi officials. In February a mortar attack near a Coalition Provisional Authority building and a hotel where Japanese reporters were lodged was said to have been aimed at the journalists, according to the Japanese government. (See Week in Review 02.16.04) The attack came a month after Japan reportedly received information about a possible attack on a building that lodged journalists and the government recommended that Japanese media leave Iraq. (Week in Review 01.28.04) Weeks before the mortars fell, the CPA imposed a gag rule on Japanese journalists seeking security information about troops in Samawah. (Week in Review 02.10.04)
 -- By Japan Media Review Contributing Writer Sunny Yu
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03.06.04
Japanese-Brazilian Internet Radio Station Gains Global Audience

From Kyodo News via Yahoo Asia News: Radio Fenix, an Internet radio station targeting Brazilian residents in Japan, has grown into an international phenomenon. The site was started in March 2003 in Moka, Tochigi Prefecture, which has some 1,500 Brazilian nationals. Japanese-Brazilian Carlos Zaha, the founder of Radio Fenix, explained that the station's music and news was intended to support Brazilians living in Japan, but now it attracts non-Brazilians in Japan and listeners in more than 50 other countries. He attributes the increased number of listeners in Japan to their interest in the music the station airs. While the success allowed the studio to move to Brazil where they could hire a local professional disc jockey, Zaha hopes to open another station in Tokyo aimed at Japanese listeners.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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03.03.04
Download Music, Buy Tickets Through Digital Radio

From Kyodo News via the The Miami Herald: Tokyo FM Broadcasting and mobile phone carrier KDDI Corp. announced that two new services will be tested on the digital radio system that began trial broadcasts in Tokyo and Osaka last October. About 200 listeners will try downloading music and buying tickets using digital radios. Other listeners can also send their opinions about the services to the firms. Publicly available digital broadcasting could be launched by 2011. At that time, listeners should have access to programming lists and music videos through digital radio.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Keiko Mori
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03.02.04
Commentary: Personal Information Leaks, Consumer Habit Tracking a Bad Combination

From The Daily Yomiuri: A recent leak of over 4 million users' personal data from Japanese broadband service Yahoo BB, in which identifying but not monetary information was stolen allegedly by extortionists, led Yomiuri Shimbun staff writer Norimasa Shimada to reflect on how such incidents could impact corporate practices of gathering consumers' personal information. Japan's online ad market has grown to nearly $900 million annually, almost the size of radio advertising, as the Internet has made it possible for companies to target consumers by studying their Internet searching habits. Revealed addresses, names and phone numbers could be used inappropriately by increasingly ambitious Internet ad companies in Japan, Shimada said. The writer also expressed concern over how easily personal information is accumulated by corporations, due to the numerous forms that people fill out on the Net each day.
 -- By Japan Media Review Associate Editor Zhen Wang
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