Japanese TV anchors lose their jobs amid a ‘crackdown’ on dissent

Monday, February 22, 2016
By Paul Martin

SCMP.com
Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Three respected broadcasters in Japan with a reputation for asking tough questions have lost their jobs.

The imminent departures of Ichiro Furutachi, Hiroko Kuniya and Shigetada Kishii from evening news programmes is not just a loss to their profession; critics say they were forced out as part of a crackdown on media dissent by an increasingly intolerant prime minister, Shinzo Abe, and his supporters.

Only last week, the internal affairs minister, Sanae Takaichi, sent a clear message to media organisations. Broadcasters that repeatedly failed to show “fairness” in their political coverage, despite official warnings, could be taken off the air, she told MPs.

Under broadcast laws, the internal affairs minister has the power to suspend broadcasting that does not maintain political neutrality.

“This is nothing but intimidation against broadcasters,” the Japan Federation of Commercial Broadcast Workers’ Union said in a statement. “[Takaichi’s] remarks represent a glaring misinterpretation of the law and we demand that she promptly retract her remarks.”

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