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was a Japanese journalist and newspaper executive. He was the Representative Director and Managing Editor of Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings, which publishes the largest Japanese daily newspaper ''
Yomiuri Shimbun The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five major newspapers in Japan; the other four are ''The Asahi Shimbun'', the ''Chunichi Shimbun'', the ''Ma ...
'' and substantially controls the largest Japanese commercial television network Nippon Television Network. He served as the Managing Editor of ''The Yomiuri Shimbun'' from 1985 until his death in 2024.


Early life

During World War II, he served the
Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
, but later noted that he was subjected to harsh treatment which included daily beatings. He managed to enroll in
Tokyo University The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...
before the war ended. After World War II, Watanabe joined the
Japanese Communist Party The is a communist party in Japan. Founded in 1922, it is the oldest political party in the country. It has 250,000 members as of January 2024, making it one of the largest non-governing communist parties in the world. The party is chaired ...
and opposed the Japan's
imperial system The imperial system of units, imperial system or imperial units (also known as British Imperial or Exchequer Standards of 1826) is the system of units first defined in the British Weights and Measures Act 1824 and continued to be developed th ...
. His political views changed with the times. He left the Japanese Communist Party due to its policy of prioritizing discipline over individual initiative. He adopted more conservative political views. He continued to hold lifelong opposition towards Japan's role in World War 2, and oppose things such as visits by Japanese prime ministers to the war-linked
Yasukuni Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Emperor Meiji in June 1869 and commemorates those who died in service of Empire of Japan, Japan, from the Boshin War of 1868–1869, to the two Sino-Japanese Wars, First Sino-Japane ...
. He graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1949.


Newspaper journalist

Watanabe first joined ''The Shimbum'' in 1950. Starting 1952, he served as a reporter in the newpaper's Political News Department, covering prime ministers from
Shigeru Yoshida was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1946 to 1947 and again from 1948 to 1954, serving through most of the country's occupation after World War II. Yoshida played a major role in determining the cour ...
. He was particularly favored by
Banboku Ōno was a Japanese politician who was a powerful faction leader within the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the early postwar Japan, postwar period, serving stints as Speaker of the House of Representatives (Japan ...
and emerged as a prominent political journalist. He became a member of the newspaper's Washington bureau, and was later appointed as a director and chairman of the editorial board at The Yomiuri Shimbun in 1979 after serving as one of the newspaper's political news editors. In this role, he helped encourge ''The Yomiuri Shimbun'' to hold an even more conservative ideology.


Deep ties with politicians

Watanabe was also an advisor to Prime Minister
Yasuhiro Nakasone was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan, prime minister of Japan from 1982 to 1987. His political term was best known for pushing through the privatization of state-owned companies and pursuing a hawkish and pro-U.S. fo ...
. As a result, the Yomiuri Shimbun began writing articles with a pro-government stance. Some voices criticized it as an improper relationship between Watanabe and Nakasone. In 1991, Watanabe became president and editor-in-chief of ''The Yomiuri Shimbun''. He retained this position until his death. Under Watanabe's leadership, the daily circulation of ''The Yomiuri Shimbun'' topped 10 million by 1994. He became president and editor-in-chief of Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings in 2002, and later chairman and editor-in-chief in 2004. Referring to himself as "the last dictator," Watanabe's leadership over ''The Yomiuri Shimbun'' was controversial. Among the things he did was not allow the newspaper to carry stories that contradicted its editorial tone and excluded anyone who objected it. As head of ''The Yomiuri Shimbu'', Watanabe was at the forefront of the news industry. In an interview with ''
Kyodo News is a nonprofit cooperative news agency based in Minato, Tokyo. It was established in November 1945 and it distributes news to almost all newspapers, and radio and television networks in Japan. The newspapers using its news have about 50 million ...
'' in the 1990s, Watanabe boasted that "You can't change the world if you don't have power" and that "Fortunately or unfortunately, I have the 10 million circulation (of the daily). I can move the prime minister with that. Political parties are in my hands and reductions in income and corporate taxes were carried out as the Yomiuri reported. Nothing is more delightful than that." By 2010, The Yomiuri Shimbun was recognized by Guinness World Records for having the highest daily newspaper circulation in the world, and also as the only newspaper with a morning circulation in excess of 10 million copies.


Professional sports team owner

When the Japan Professional Soccer League was established, he insisted that each football club should put each company's name on the football clubs. Usually, in Europe and the United States, each professional team or club put each city's name on the team. In August 2004, Watanabe resigned as
Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They h ...
(owned by the Yomiuri Shimbun) president after it was revealed that the Giants baseball club had violated scouting rules by paying ¥2 million to pitching prospect Yasuhiro Ichiba. Ten months later, Watanabe was hired as chairman of the team. In 2004, Japanese professional baseball held its first-ever strike. Watanabe faced public criticism for remarking to
Atsuya Furuta Atsuya Furuta (古田 敦也, b. August 6, 1965) is a Japanese former baseball player and player-manager for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows professional baseball club in the Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Drafted in the 2nd round in ...
, the head of the players' union, "You are mere players. You should know your places."


Later life and death

Concerned by the way unfinished business concerning the war continued to hinder Japan's progress, Watanabe set up a War Responsibility Re-examination Committee at Yomiuri Shimbun to undertake a 14-month investigation into the causes of Japan's Pacific War. The committee concluded that, "not only high-ranking government leaders, generals and admirals should shoulder the blame." Watanabe had close ties with a number of powerful Japanese political figures, including former Prime Ministers
Yasuhiro Nakasone was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan, prime minister of Japan from 1982 to 1987. His political term was best known for pushing through the privatization of state-owned companies and pursuing a hawkish and pro-U.S. fo ...
and
Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. ...
. Under Watanabe's leadership, ''The Yomiuri Shimbun'' presented its first draft amendments to Japan's Constitution. He formed a united front with Nakasone to alter the war-renouncing supreme law. Under Abe, Watanabe headed an advisory council on Japan's secrecy law from 2014 to 2016. Despite his advancing age, Watanabe regularly showed up to his ''Yomiuri Shimbun'' office until late November 2024. Watanabe died of pneumonia on December 19, 2024, at the age of 98. Numerous Japanese political figures, including former Japanese Prime Ministers Fumio Kishida and
Yoshihiko Noda is a Japanese politician. He is the current leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), and has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2000. From 2011 to 2012, he was the Prime Minister of Japan. Noda entered po ...
, were among those who paid tribute to Watanabe. His funeral and farewell ceremony were held at the Imperial Hotel, in
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, on 25 February 2025.
Princess Takamado (born ; 10 July 1955), is a member of the Japanese Imperial Family as the widow of Norihito, Prince Takamado. Background and education Hisako was born on 10 July 1955 in Shirokane, Minato, Tokyo, Minato, Tokyo. She is the eldest daughter of ...
, Princess Tsuguko, Prime Minister
Shigeru Ishiba Shigeru Ishiba (born 4 February 1957) is a Japanese politician who has served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) since 2024. He has been a member of ...
, former prime ministers Fumio Kishida and Yoshiro Mori, were among the guests. Later, they also toured an exhibition commemorating Tsuneo Watanabe's life at the same building.


Honours

* Grand Cordon of the
Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...
(2008) *
Senior Third Rank The court ranks of Japan, also known in Japanese as ''ikai'' (位階), are indications of an individual's court rank in Japan based on the system of the state. ''Ikai'' as a system was the indication of the rank of bureaucrats and officials in co ...
(2025)


References


External links

*
Shadow Shogun Steps Into Light, to Change Japan
''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', February 11, 2006.
Tsuneo Watanabe named Cannes 2007 Media Person of the year

The Most Powerful Publisher You’ve Never Heard of
'
The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...
'', November 14, 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Watanabe, Tsuneo 1926 births 2024 deaths Baseball executives Businesspeople from Tokyo Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun Japanese male journalists 20th-century Japanese journalists 21st-century Japanese journalists Japanese sports businesspeople Newspaper executives University of Tokyo alumni Kaisei Academy alumni Yomiuri Giants Deaths from pneumonia in Japan