Japanese newspapers

Japanese newspapers (新聞 "shinbun"), similar to their worldwide counterparts, run the gamut from general news-oriented papers to special interest newspapers devoted to economics, sports, book reviews, industry, and trade. Newspapers are circulated either nationally, by region (such as Kantō or Kansai), prefecture, or by city. Some newspapers publish as often as two times a day (morning and evening editions) while others publish weekly, monthly, quarterly, or even yearly. The three leading national daily newspapers in Japan are the Asahi shimbun, the Yomiuri shimbun, and the Mainichi shimbun.

History

Japanese newspapers began in the 17th century as yomiuri (読売、literally "to read and sell") or "kawaraban" (瓦版,literally "tile-block printing" referring to the use of clay printing blocks), which were printed handbills sold in major cities to commemorate major social gatherings or events.

The first modern newspaper was the Nagasaki Shipping List and Advertiser, which was published bi-weekly by the Englishman A. W. Hansard. In November of the same year, Hansard moved the paper to Yokohama and renamed it as the Japan Herald. In 1862, the Tokugawa shogunate began publishing the Kampan batabiya shimbun, a translated edition of a widely-distributed Dutch government newspaper. These two papers were published for foreigners, and contained only foreign news.

The first Japanese daily newspaper that covered foreign and domestic news was the Yokohama mainichi shimbun, first published in 1871. The Tokyo nichinichi shimbun, the predecessor of the present day Mainichi shimbun began in 1872; the Yomiuri shimbun began in 1874, and the Asahi shimbun began in 1879.

Most newspapers at this time were referred to as "political forums", because they demanded the establishment of a Diet; indeed, they were inextricably tied to the Popular Rights Movement (自由民権運動, "Jiyū minken undō"). After the government's official announcement of the formation of the diet, these newspapers became organs of the political parties. Newspapers started becoming more "impartial" beginning in the 1880s. The early readers of these newspapers mostly came from the ranks of the former samurai class.

Throughout their history, Japanese newspapers have had a central role in issues of free speech and freedom of the press. In the period of Taishō [[Democracy] in the 1910s to the 1920s, the government worked to suppress newspapers such as the Asahi shimbun for their critical stances of the government that favored protecting citizens' rights and constitutional democracy. In the period of growing militarism to the outbreak of total war in the 1930s to the 1940s, newspapers faced intense government censorship and control. After Japan's defeat, the American occupiers took over the reigns of this machinery of censorship to inculcate democratic and anti-communist values. In 1951, freedom of the press finally returned to Japan.