Sankei Shimbun

The , name short for , is a daily national newspaper in Japan published by the Sankei Shimbun Co., Ltd, ranking amongst the top five most circulated newspapers in Japan. Together with its English-language paper ''Japan Forward'', the ''Sankei Shimbun'' has been described as having a conservative, nationalist, right-wing to far-right political stance. It has previously published materials downplaying or denying Japanese war crimes.

Corporate profile

The ''Sankei Shimbun'' is part of the Fujisankei Communications Group and is 40% owned by Fuji Media Holdings. The company is also the owner of Osaka Broadcasting Corporation (OBC, Radio Osaka).

History

The ''Sankei Shimbun'' was created by the merger of two older newspapers: ''Jiji News'' and ''Nihon Kogyō Shimbun''. ''Jiji News'' was founded in 1882 by author, translator, and journalist Fukuzawa Yukichi, who also founded Keio University. ''Nihon Kogyō Shimbun'', founded in 1933 by Hisakichi Maeda, specialized in business and was published by the ''Minami-Osaka Shimbun'' (the ''South Osaka Evening newspaper''). In 1941, the ''Osaka Shimbun'' (renamed from ''Minami-Osaka Shimbun'') merged with ''Osaka Jiji Shimpō'' (''Jiji-Shimpō Osaka edition''). The following year, ''Nihon Kogyō Shimbun'' merged with other business newspapers in Western Japan, and changed its name to the ''Sangyō Keizai Shimbun'' (or the ''Sankei''). In 1955, the ''Sankei'' merged with ''Jiji Shimpō.'' In 1959, the ''Sankei'' and ''Jiji Shimpō'' were placed under the ''Sankei Shimbun'' masthead.

In 1958, the ''Sankei'' was acquired by Shigeo Mizuno and Nobutaka Shikanai. After financial difficulties, it changed direction from being liberal to being conservative ( Tenkō). Both Mizuno and Shikanai would go on to found Fuji Television a year later.

The ''Sankei Shimbun'' started two online newspapers in 1996: ''Sankei Web'', in website style, and ''E-NEWS'', in personal digital assistant style. In 2001, the ''Sankei Shimbun'' started a new electronic newspaper delivery edition, ''NEWSVUE''. In 2002, the ''Sankei Shimbun'' merged with ''Osaka Shimbun''. Both editions were placed under the ''Sankei Shimbun'' masthead. In 2005, the ''Sankei Shimbun'' added video to its digital edition, suitable for smartphone, and renamed it as ''Sankei NetView''. In 2007, the ''Sankei Shimbun'' started a new online newspaper, , in collaboration with Microsoft. In 2014 the ''Sankei Shimbun'' rebranded its online news as ''Sankei News''.

In 2017, ''Sankei Shimbun'' launched the English language online website ''Japan Forward''.

Ownership

* , a national newspaper.
* , an industry & business & economy newspaper that renamed ''Nihon Kogyo Shimbun'' (''Japan Industry Newspaper'') in March 2004, which ended publication in July 2021.
* , a Japanese daily sports newspaper since 1955.
* , a Japanese daily evening tabloid newspaper since 1969. suspended publication on 2025.
* , a horse racing newspaper since 1971.
* , a Kansai regional evening newspaper that suspended publication in 2002.
* , a targeted at young people newspaper founded in 2006.

Political stance

The ''Sankei Shimbun'' is a nationalist and conservative newspaper. Some book and media outlets have called the ''Sankei Shimbun'' a far-right newspaper; The ''Sankei Shimbun'' has previously published books denying the atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II.

Controversies

In August 2014, South Korea filed suit against the ''Sankei'' for insults against president Park Geun-hye, published in one of the newspaper's articles, and demanded Tatsuya Kato, head of the Seoul Bureau, present himself for questioning. The article in question covered several rumors about Park during the sinking of MV ''Sewol'', referring to Korean news reports in the conservative newspaper '' The Chosun Ilbo''; however, only the ''Sankei'' was charged with defamation, considered an anti-Korean newspaper in Korea. The Japanese media assumed the suit was a warning to the ''Sankei''. Kato, who was eventually acquitted of defamation charges in December 2015, was under prosecution without detention for a year and two months. The South Korean court said press freedoms were taken into consideration in arriving at Kato's acquittal.

In December 2014, the newspaper apologized after running an advert for antisemitic books by conspiracy theorist Richard Koshimizu.

On February 11, 2015, regular columnist Ayako Sono wrote an opinion piece opining that though she considered it necessary for Japan to accept more immigrants to bolster its decreasing workforce, it would also be necessary for Japan to take steps to ensure the separation of immigrants in regards to living conditions, citing South African apartheid as an example of how to achieve this goal.

In July 2015, ''Sankei Shimbun'' published the history book ''History Wars: Japan – False Indictment of the Century'', which questioned the veracity of claims of Japanese war crimes during World War II.

In September 2015, several hundred academics and journalists were sent copies of ''History Wars'' and ''Getting Over it! Why Korea Needs to Stop Bashing Japan''. The book mailings were part of a project by right-wing groups such as the '' Nippon Kaigi'' to improve international perceptions of Japan. A covering letter from politician Inoguchi Kuniko read in part: "In East Asia, the regional history of the 20th century has been incorrectly distorted by some individuals due to their current domestic political ambitions, I believe it is important for you, as a highly esteemed member of the academic and policy circles, to look into the books which I am enclosing with this letter."

Sankei Award, Sankei Prize

* – An international art prize founded in 1989 awarded by the Imperial family of Japan on behalf of the Japan Art Association in the fields of painting, sculpture, architecture, music, theatre and film.
* – An award founded in 1952.
* – An award recognizing founded in 2002.
* – The oldest children's literature award in Japan.
* – Major traditional culture award for the arts of (comedic Japanese verbal entertainment), (Japanese dance), modern dance, classical music and jazz, awarded since 1964.
* – A major kanji (Japanese calligraphy) award founded in 1984.

Philanthropy

* – a medical fund set up in Japan for impoverished children with heart defects.
* – a nonprofit organization for societal welfare.

Offices

* Tokyo Head Office (registered headquarters): Tokyo Sankei Building, 1-7-2, Otemachi, Chiyoda, Tokyo
* Osaka Head Office: Namba Sankei Building, 2-1-57, Minatomachi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka
** Umeda Office: Breeze Tower, 2-4-9, Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka
* Western Office (Fukuoka): Sunlight Building, 5-23-8, Watanabe-dori, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka

Sankei Group affiliate companies

* Fujisankei Communications Group
* Fuji Television – is a major Japanese television station, also known as or CX. It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System.
* Kansai Telecasting Corporation
* Osaka Broadcasting Corporation – is an AM radio station of National Radio Network (NRN) in Osaka, Japan, also known as .
* FM 802 – is an FM radio station in Kansai, Japan.
* FM COCOLO – is a multilingual FM radio station owned and operated by FM 802 Co., Ltd
* Iwate Menkoi Television – Iwate area
* Sendai Television – Miyagi area
* Fukushima Television Broadcasting – Fukushima area
* Niigata Sogo Television – Niigata area
* Nagano Broadcasting Systems – Nagano area television station
* TV Shizuoka – Shizuoka area television station
* Okayama Broadcasting – Okayama area television station
* Ehime Broadcasting – Ehime area television station
* Shinhiroshima Telecasting – Hiroshima area television station
* Kochi Sun Sun Broadcasting – Kochi area television station
* Tokyo Tower – was the tower's founder and owner.
* FM Osaka – The owner is Hisakichi Maeda's family.
* Japan Airlines – Descendants of Sankei Shimbun Aviation Department

Notable corporate alumni

* Yoshirō Mori, the president of Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the 85th and 86th Prime Minister of Japan
* Fukushiro Nukaga, former Minister of Finance
* Eriko Yamatani, politician, former chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, former Minister for the Abduction Issue
* Tsuneo Kitamura, politician serving in the House of Councillors
* Kenta Matsunami, politician serving in the House of Representatives
* Hiroshi Nakatsuka, Japanese politician, former mayor of Hirakara
* Shoko Yamaguchi, Legion of Honour in 2013
* Ryōtarō Shiba, author
* Sakunosuke Oda, author
* Ikko Tanaka, graphic designer worked at 1964 Summer Olympics, Expo '70, Expo '85, and Expo '90
* Masami Abe, first reported the abduction of Japanese nationals by the North Korean regime in 1979, for which he was awarded the Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association Award
* Tsutomu Saitō, chief operating officer at ''Sankei'', who scooped the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1990
* Katsuhiro Kuroda, columnist at ''Sankei'', in Seoul Branch (South Korea)
* Yoshihisa Komori, columnist at ''Sankei'', in Washington, D.C. Branch (United States)
* Tatsuya Kato, columnist at ''Sankei'', former chief of Seoul branch
* Ayari Aoyama, writer at ''Sankei'', who was a butterfly swimmer at the 1996 Summer Olympics
* Monta Mino, radio and television announcer
* Masato Kimura, freelance journalist, former chief of London Branch (United Kingdom)

See also

* Mass media in Japan

Notes

References

External links

*
*
Japan Forward
'

{{Authority control

Fujisankei Communications Group
1882 establishments in Japan
1933 establishments in Japan
Anti-communist organizations in Japan
Anti-Korean sentiment in Japan
Companies based in Osaka Prefecture
Companies based in Tokyo
Conservative media in Japan
Daily newspapers published in Japan
Far-right politics in Japan
Japanese nationalist organizations
Mass media companies based in Tokyo
Nationalist newspapers
North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens
Newspapers established in 1882
Newspapers established in 1933
Reactionary
Right-wing newspapers
World War II-related historical negationism
Historical negationism in Japan