Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Japan Times began printing its first issue on the 22nd of March 1897 in Tokyo. This event marked the birth of Japan's oldest and largest English-language daily newspaper. The publication was launched by a group of Japanese intellectuals and businessmen to help the nation engage with the wider world.
A group of Japanese intellectuals and businessmen founded The Japan Times to help Japan participate in the international community. Their initial goal was to give Japanese citizens access to English-language news and commentary while allowing them to discuss global events in their own language. This vision set the tone for decades of operation despite later political pressures.
The Japan Times was known as Nippon Times between 1943 and 1956. This name was chosen during a period when English-language sentiment was officially banned in Japan. The paper survived this era by carefully navigating political constraints at the cost of editorial independence.
Shintaro Fukushima took control of The Japan Times in 1956 and renamed it back to its original title. He served as president until 1983 and sold shares of the company to Toshiaki Ogasawara, chairman of Nifco. This transaction marked a significant shift in ownership and editorial direction for the newspaper.
In November 2018, The Japan Times announced it would use the term wartime laborers instead of forced labor and refer to comfort women as women who worked in wartime brothels. The newspaper issued an apology on the 7th of December 2018 after admitting that the editorial note had undermined trust with its readers, reporters, and staff.
Mark Brazil served as the Wild Watch nature columnist for The Japan Times from 1982 to 2015. Other notable contributors included Monty DiPietro as an art critic and John Gauntner who wrote about Nihonshu. These contributors helped shape the paper's identity by offering a wide range of voices and expertise.