The Asahi Shimbun

• 1. Founding And Early Expansion

  ›

  The Asahi Shimbun began publication in Osaka on the 25th of January 1879 as a small-print, four-page illustrated paper. It sold for one sen, which was a hundredth of a yen, and had an initial circulation of approximately 3,000 copies. Three founding officers led the staff of twenty: Kimura Noboru served as company president, Ueno Riichi acted as owner, and Tsuda Tei managed editing duties. The company's first premises were located at Minami-dōri, Edobori in Osaka. On the 13th of September of that same year, Asahi printed its first editorial. In 1881, the newspaper adopted an all-news format and enlisted Ueno Riichi as co-owner. From 1882, Asahi received financial support from both the Government and Mitsui, which hardened its management base. Under the leadership of Ueno and Murayama, the Asahi began its steady ascent to national prominence. On the 10th of July 1888, the first issue of the Tokyo Asahi Shimbun was published from the Tokyo office at Motosukiyachō, Kyōbashi. This first issue was numbered No. 1,076 because it continued three small papers: Jiyū no Tomoshibi, Tomoshibi Shimbun, and Mesamashi Shimbun. On the 1st of April 1907, the renowned writer Natsume Sōseki resigned his teaching positions at Tokyo Imperial University to join the Tokyo Asahi Shimbun. He had recently published novels Wagahai wa Neko de Aru and Botchan, which made him a center of literary attention. On the 1st of October 1908, the Osaka Asahi Shimbun and Tokyo Asahi Shimbun merged into a single unified corporation called Asahi Shimbun Gōshi Kaisha. The new entity had a capitalization of approximately 600,000 yen.

• 2. Wartime Collaboration And Suppression

  ›

  From the latter half of the 1930s, Asahi ardently supported Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe's wartime government known as Konoe Shin Taisei. Editor in Chief Taketora Ogata harshly criticized capitalism while influential editorial writers like Shintarō Ryū and Hiroo Sassa joined the Shōwa Kenkyūkai think tank for Konoe. Hotsumi Ozaki served as an informant for the famous spy Richard Sorge within this group. Ogata was one of the leading members of the Genyōsha, an ultranationalist group formed in 1881 by Tōyama Mitsuru. Kōki Hirota, later hanged as a Class A war criminal, was also a leading member of the Genyōsha and one of Ogata's best friends. In 1944, they attempted to assassinate Prime Minister Hideki Tōjō, who led the Control Group faction that conflicted with the Imperial Way Faction. On the 9th of April 1937, the Kamikaze aircraft sponsored by the Asahi Shimbun company arrived in London. Masaaki Iinuma flew this Mitsubishi aircraft, marking the first Japanese-built plane to reach Europe. On the 1st of January 1943, the publication of the Asahi Shimbun stopped after the newspaper published a critical essay contributed by Seigō Nakano. Nakano was also a leading member of the Genyōsha and Ogata's best friend. On the 27th of December 1943, Murayama Ryōhei's son-in-law removed Ogata from Editor in Chief and relegated him to Vice President to hold absolute power. On the 22nd of July 1944, Ogata became a Minister without Portfolio and President of Cabinet Intelligence Agency in Kuniaki Koiso's cabinet. Hiroshi Shimomura, former Vice President of Asahi, became Minister without Portfolio and President of Cabinet Intelligence Agency in Kantarō Suzuki's cabinet on the 7th of April 1945. On the 17th of August 1945, Ogata served as Chief Cabinet Secretary and President of Cabinet Intelligence Agency in Prince Higashikuni's cabinet.

• 3. Postwar Political Stance And Identity

  ›

  On the 5th of November 1945, the Asahi Shimbun president and senior executives resigned en masse to assume responsibility for compromising principles during the war. The newspaper adopted modern kana usage system (shin kanazukai) on the 21st of November 1946. Between 1954 and 1971, Asahi published a glossy annual in English entitled This is Japan. On the 30th of November 1949, the paper began publishing the serialized cartoon strip Sazae-san by Machiko Hasegawa. This landmark cartoon defined Japan's postwar era. The Asahi Shimbun is considered left-leaning and has been called the intellectual flagship of Japan's political left. It maintains a long tradition of reporting on big political scandals more often than conservative counterparts. The paper shows progressive tendencies in cultural and diplomatic issues while holding neoliberal economic views. This contrasts with Mainichi Shimbun's relatively Keynesian economic viewpoint. The Asahi has called for upholding Japan's postwar Constitution and particularly Article 9, which bars using war to resolve disputes. The newspaper opposed changes in interpretation of the anti-war provision made in 2014 that allowed Self-Defense Forces to aid allies under attack. According to the Reuters Institute Digital Report 2018, public trust in the Asahi Shimbun was the lowest among Japan's major dailies at 5.35 compared to 5.68 for Sankei Shimbun. Further analysis indicated low trust resulted from strong criticism from political right groups in Japan.

• 4. Notable Fabrication Scandals

  ›

  In May 1989, an article described how the world's largest Azami coral in Okinawa was damaged with initial KY scratched on it. A color photograph showed the scratched coral alongside commentary lamenting declining Japanese morals. Investigations by local divers proved the Asahi photographer himself made the scratches to forge the article. President Toichiro Hitotsuyanagi resigned to take responsibility for this incident known as the KY case. On the 27th of September 1950, a solo interview with Ritsu Ito appeared claiming he was a Japanese Communist Party executive in hiding. Later revelations showed this interview was forged by the Asahi reporter assigned to cover it. In August 2014, the newspaper retracted discredited testimonies of Seiji Yoshida about forcible recruitment of comfort women cited in articles from the 1980s and 1990s. The paper drew ire from conservative media who criticized it for damaging Japan's reputation abroad. Some leveraged this episode to imply sexual slavery itself was fabricated. The Asahi reaffirmed that women were coerced into being sexual partners but confirmed no official documents directly showed forcible military taking away. Prostitution agents were prevalent due to poverty and patriarchal family systems making human trafficking possible even without direct military involvement.

• 5. Fukushima Reporting Controversy

  ›

  Following the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the Asahi strengthened its investigative unit called Tokubetsu Hodobu or Special Reports Section. This section won awards including the Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association Award in 2012 and again in 2013. In May 2014, the section published Masao Yoshida's firsthand account as manager when triple meltdown occurred. Yoshida testified that 90% of plant employees left despite his instructions for them to remain. He believed instructions simply did not reach workers during chaos. The headline stated Workers Evacuated Violating Plant Manager Orders which came under intense criticism for slandering workers. Many Japanese saw Yoshida and plant workers as heroes preventing worse disaster. Journalist Ryusho Kadota first criticized the Asahi for mischaracterizing evacuation. The newspaper demanded Kadota's publisher apologize before retracting the story in mid-September 2014. Facing criticism from other media and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe government, president Tadakazu Kimura resigned to take responsibility. Reporters responsible were punished while Special Reports Section reduced size with members reassigned elsewhere. Two top reporters later quit to found Waseda Chronicle, now Tokyo Investigative Newsroom Tansa dedicated to investigative journalism.

• 6. Digital Transformation And Trust Crisis

  ›

  The newspaper's circulation reached 4.57 million for its morning edition and 1.33 million for evening edition as of July 2021. This made it second behind Yomiuri Shimbun by print circulation though digital size trails global newspapers like The New York Times. According to Reuters Institute Digital Report 2018, public trust in Asahi was lowest among Japan's five largest dailies at 5.35 compared to 5.68 for Sankei Shimbun. While confidence declined across all major newspapers, Asahi faced particular scrutiny due to strong political right criticism. In 2010, partnership with International Herald Tribune dissolved due to unprofitability after running from April 2001 until February 2011. The Asahi now operates Asia & Japan Watch online portal for English readers instead. The Tribune cooperates on Aera English glossy magazine for English learners. Shukusatsuban technology popularized by Asahi in the 1930s compressed multiple daily pages onto single sheets for library archives. Microfilm versions available from 1888 while shukusatsuban versions exist from 1931. Issues printed since August 1984 accessible through Lexis-Nexis Academic database.