The magazine of The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan

April 2019 Vol. 51 No. 4 ¥400

An erabows out

AudreyHepburn,chindonya
and natural
disasters . . .
Stories of the
Heisei EmperorIn this issueVol. 51, Number 4

April 2019contact the editors

no.1shimbun@fccj.or.jp
Publisher FCCJTHE FRONT PAGE

From the President by Peter Langan
Freedom of the Press news:
Imprisoned female journalists
by Reporters Without Borders

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FEATURES

An emperor of the people
by Andrew Horvat
The crown prince’s Roman Holiday
by Eiichiro Tokumoto
The prince and the chindonya
by Geoffrey Tudor
Exhibition: Emperor Akihito’s Abdication

THE FCCJ ONLINE: www.fccj.or.jp

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MEMBER EVENTSPage 12:
The Library
Committee
PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEOSCLUB CALENDARCLUB INFORMATION

Keepers of the books
by Julian Ryall

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Are you being harassed?
by TrollBusters

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FREEDOM OF THE PRESS INFOFCCJ BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President Peter Langan, Freelance
1st Vice President Abigail Leonard, Freelance
2nd Vice President Robert Whiting, Freelance
Secretary Daniel Hurst, Freelance
Treasurer Willem Kortekaas,
Associate Member
Directors-at-Large Khaldon Azhari,
PanOrient News
Daniel Sloan, Nissan Motor/Freelance
Mary Corbett, Professional Associate Member
Milton Isa, Associate Member
Kanji Kazuo Abiko, Freelance
Associate Kanji Makoto Honjo,
Associate Member
FCCJ COMMITTEE CHAIRSAssociate Members Liaison Keiko Packard,
Harumi Kumagai
Compliance Kunio Hamada, Yoshio Murakami
DeRoy Memorial Scholarship Abigail Leonard,
David SatterwhiteEntertainment Sandra Mori
Exhibition Bruce Osborn
Film Karen Severns
Finance Willem Kortekaas
Food & Beverage Robert Kirschenbaum,
Mehdi Bassiri
Freedom of Press Abigail Leonard
House & Property Peter Langan,
David Satterwhite
Human Resources Willem Kortekaas
Information Technology Albert Siegel
Library, Archives & Workroom
Koichi Ishiyama, Suvendrini Kakuchi
Membership Andrew Horvat, Peter O’Connor
Membership Marketing Abigail Leonard,
Willem Kortekaas
Professional Activities Tetsuo Jimbo,
David McNeill
Public Relations Rosa Argyropoulos
Publications Gavin Blair, Geoff Tudor
Special Projects Haruko Watanabe
Foreign Press in Japan Robin Harding

CLUB NEWSSOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

No. 1 SHIMBUN ONLINE

Editor Gregory Starr
Art Director Andrew Pothecarywww.itsumo-music.jp/design
Editorial Assistant Naomichi Iwamura
Photo Coordinator Akiko Miyake
Publications committee members
Gavin Blair, Freelance (co-chair)
Geoffrey Tudor, Orient Aviation (co-chair)
Daniel Hurst, Freelance
Sonja Blaschke, Freelance
Albert Siegel, Freelance

Lens craftby photographer Members

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In Memoriam: Fumio Matsuo
by Kyodo, other sources

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Press conference voices, Hanif’s birthday,
Join the Film Committee . . .
New Members, New in the library
FCCJ

APRIL 201918
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The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan
Marunouchi Nijubashi Building 5F
Marunouchi 3-2-3 Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 100-0005
Tel: (03) 3211-3161 Fax: (03) 3211-3168 fccj.or.jp
Published by the FCCJ All opinions contained within
Number 1 Shimbun are those of the authors. As such,these opinions do not constitute an official positionof Number 1 Shimbun, the editor or the Foreign
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Please pitch and send articles and photographs, oraddress comments to no.1shimbun@fccj.or.jp
Read the Number 1 Shimbun online:
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Cover photo: AP Photo

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The Front Page

FROM THE PRESIDENT
DEAR FELLOW MEMBERS,
I’m happy to report thatafter beating the drum about
establishing a quorum for the
General Membership Meeting on
March 20, we achieved the magic
number. We needed 131 Regular Members, and with
15 attending in person, 151 absentee ballots, and 13
proxies, we reached 179.
A large “Thank you!” to all involved. (And, of course,
a reminder that we get to do it all over again for theJune GMM!)
Those who couldn’t attend missed a good feast and a
Q&A on topics from PAC and the No. 1 Shimbun to ourdonation drive and membership. Dues paid by members
make up 90 percent of revenue so attracting moremembers to the new Club is the clear priority for 2019.
Treasurer Willem Kortekaas gave a briefing on theClub’s finances, specifically the proposed FY2019
budget and business plan. The budget assumed a net
income of ¥6.3 million for the year based on approvalof motions for a phased increase in initiation feesfor Associate Members and a Relocation Levy. Bothmotions passed, which was fortunate as – without
them – the budget assumption would have been a net
loss of ¥27.9 million. The budget and business plan
were also approved. A separate notice will be sent
explaining all the motions presented at the GMM andthe voting breakdown.
Our new Journalism Learning Labs initiative is ameans of bringing younger journalists into the FCCJ.
First Vice-President Abby Leonard is the driving force
and we had a full house for the first event on March 13.
The speaker was our very own Ken Moritsugu, news
director at AP for Japan and the Koreas. Ken’s topic wascovering Japanese news for an overseas readership andhe also ran a Q&A session. I’ll use this space to wish Ken
every success in his recent promotion, which will see
him move to Beijing. Enjoy, Ken, and come back soon.
The Learning Labs for April and May include how
to make the best use of Google News Tools forresearching stories, fact-checking and more; andguidelines on legal implications for reporting in Japanand explaining the justice system. We will probably
open them up to larger numbers; we capped the first at
30 and had a waiting list.
Meantime, you should soon be seeing the returnof some old favorites on the walls of the new Club,
including the past president snapshots with Club
speakers and the mugshots of Regular Members,
hopefully all cleaned up and looking refreshed.
Finally, we will be re-hanging the calligraphy work,“Blessing,” by Toko Shinoda in a pride of place where
the Club’s two main corridors intersect. The work
has been lovingly restored by the Tolman Collection,
whose founder Norman Tolman is a long-time Associate
Member at the Club.
I look forward to seeing you in the Club.
– Peter Langan
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FREEDOM OF THE PRESS NEWSFROM THE ARCHIVES

Imprisoned womenjournalists

Dynamic leader of the LDP

A report from Reporters without Borders
AS MORE AND MORE women take up journalism, so too
have women journalists increasingly been the victims ofruthless persecution by authoritarian regimes. According
to a Reporters Without Borders tally, of the 334 journalists
in prison at the end of February, 27 of them – or 8 percent– were women. Five years ago, only 3 percent of imprisoned
journalists were women.
These women journalists are being held in nine countries.
Iran and China are the two largest jailers of womenjournalists, with seven each. They are followed by Turkey
which – despite freeing the famous Kurdish journalist andartist Zehra Dogan recently – continues to detain four other
women journalists. Saudi Arabia is holding three womenjournalists, Vietnam two and Egypt, Bahrain, Syria, andNicaragua are each holding one.
Although targeted by the authorities because of theirarticles or social network posts, women journalists areusually held on charges of “terrorist propaganda” or“membership of a terrorist group,” as in Turkey and Egypt,or for “suspicious contacts with foreign entities,” as in Saudi
Arabia. Although vague and unsubstantiated, allegations of

For many, physical torture iscompounded by the threat of rapeand sexual harassment.
this kind are used to impose long jail terms.
In Iran, journalist and human rights defender Narges
Mohammadi and Paineveste blog editor Hengameh Shahidi
were sentenced to 10 and 12 years in prison respectively on
charges of “conspiring against national security and theIslamic Republic” and “insulting” the head of the judicial
system. Roya Saberi Negad Nobakht, who has British andIranian dual citizenship, initially received a 20-year prison
sentence in 2014 for her Facebook posts. It was later reduced
to five years.
Some countries have no reservations about imposing thelongest possible prison terms in order to silence outspoken
voices. This is the case in China. Gulmira Imin, a memberof the Uyghur Muslim community and editor of the news
website Salkin, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2010
on charges of “separatism” and “divulging state secrets.”
A well-known 74-year-old journalist, Nazli Ilicak,
received the same sentence in Turkey for taking partin a TV broadcast critical of the government on the eveof an abortive coup attempt in July 2016. She and two
male colleagues, the Altan brothers, were sentenced to“aggravated” imprisonment for life, the harshest form of
isolation, with no furloughs and no possibility of a pardon.
Women, like their male colleagues, are liable to be
subjected to extremely harsh prison conditions. Lucía
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Pineda Ubau, the news director of the
Nicaraguan TV news channel 100% Noticias,
spent 41 days in Managua’s El Chipote highsecurity prison before being transferred to a
women’s prison at the end of December. The
conditions in El Chipote, where the former
Somoza family dictatorship used to torture
its political prisoners, are “inhumane,”according to a Portuguese MEP who visited
Pineda there.
Tran Thi Nga, a Vietnamese blogger
who defended migrant workers, was held
incommunicado for more than six months
after her arrest, until finally sentenced tonine years in prison on a charge of “antistate propaganda” in a one-day trial on July25, 2017. She was denied phone calls and visits
for nearly a year because she “refused to admit
her guilt.”
Women are spared none of the worst formsof mistreatment. For many, physical tortureis compounded by the threat of rape andsexual harassment. In China, Gulmira Imin
was tortured and forced to sign documents
without being able to see her lawyer.
According to the family of Shorouq
Amjad Ahmed al Sayed, a young photo­
journalist arrested in Egypt on April 25, 2018,
she was beaten unconscious, insulted andthreatened with rape until the she made theconfession sought by her interrogators –namely, that she had created a website with theaim of endangering public order and belonged
to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
Six other women journalists are currently
being held without trial in other parts of theworld. In some cases, their families havelost all contact with them. In China, no one
knows what has become of three womencitizen-journalists, Zhang Jixin, Qin Chao and
Li Zhaoxlu, who were arrested in 2015, 2016,
and 2017 respectively.
“Twenty-seven woman journalists are
currently deprived of their freedom becauseof what they wrote or because they spokeout courageously,” RSF secretary-general
Christophe Deloire says. “They are sparednothing. They are often the victims ofdisproportionate and iniquitous sentences.
They are subjected to the most appalling
prison conditions, like their male colleagues,
and they are sometimes also tortured andharassed sexually. We call for their immediate
release and we urge the United Nations totake up these cases.” ❶FCCJAPRIL 2019

When he spoke at a Club luncheon on Feb. 28, 1994, Ryutaro Hashimoto
was a strong contender for the leadership of Japan’s Liberal Democratic
Party (LDP). Two years later, he was elected PM. To his left is FCCJ
president Lew Simons (Knight-Ridder).
Born on July 29, 1937, in Okayama Prefecture, Ryutaro Hashimoto
followed in the footsteps of his father, Ryogo, an LDP stalwart, winning
his Diet seat in 1963. He steadily climbed the LDP ranks, with stints as
minister of health, of transport and of trade on his way to the top.
His career covered the tumultuous times following Japan’s burst
economic bubble that resulted in the LDP’s shocking fall from politicalpower in 1993. He held the post of trade minister (MITI) in the coalition
government headed by Tomiichi Murayama of the Socialist Democratic
Party. Hashimoto eventually replaced Murayama as prime minister inJanuary of 1996 and served in that capacity until July 30, 1998.
Hashimoto successfully streamlined certain governmental
structures, including the cabinet, but for the most part failed in his
attempts at political and economic reforms due to political infighting.
He is remembered primarily for the 1996 agreement with the U.S. to
relocate its Marine air base at Futenma to Henoko, which even today
faces opposition. He is also remembered for implementing an increasein the consumption tax in 1997 from 3 percent to 5 percent, and therecession that followed.
Hashimoto resigned as PM in July of 1998 after a major loss of LDP
seats in the Upper House election that year. However, he continued as
the leader of the largest faction and in 2001 again became a candidate
for prime minister. Ironically, he lost to Junichiro Koizumi, whom hetrounced in a 1995 race for LDP leadership. His political career came toan end in 2004 after disclosure of an illegal campaign donation.
Hashimoto died at age 68 on July 1, 2006 following an abdominal
operation.
(I interviewed Hashimoto in 1985 regarding the future of healthcare
and was impressed by his broad knowledge and insights. His
description of the problems and possible solutions became so detailed
that he extended our scheduled half hour to a full hour.)– Charles Pomeroy
editor of Foreign Correspondents in Japan,
a history of the Club that is available at the front desk5

Feature: An era bows out

By Andrew HorvatTAnemperorof thepeople

BRUCE OSBORN

A look back at the reignof the retiring
Emperor Akihito
and how he changed
perceptions of his
symbolic role.

The short walk home
The Imperial couple taking
a last walk in Hayama as
Emperor and Empress.
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emperor and Empress Michiko would visit Palau to mark the70th anniversary of the end of World War II, and that theywould pay their respects to the 10,000 soldiers killed in 1944
on the nearby island of Peleliu, Akihito stated on his arrivalthat he had come to remember “all those who had lost theirlives.” The expression, in Japanese “subete no hitobito” (allpeople) was intended not only for the Micronesians present
at his welcome banquet but also for audiences back in Japan.
By referring to the total number killed on Peleliu as 10,000,
the Japanese media had ignored the 1,700 US Marines who
had perished in the same battle. As during his visit to Saipan
ten years earlier, the emperor made a point of paying his
respects to the dead of both sides.

hirty years ago, on the passing of Emperor Hirohito, I
wrote that the only thing we can be certain of regarding the late monarch’s views was that he treasured his
memories of his visit to Disneyland. We could be sure of thisbecause a photograph of Hirohito taking part in a rice-planting ceremony showed him wearing a Mickey Mouse watch. On
all other matters, the monarch’s opinions came to us indirectly, through the statements of those who claimed to havespoken with him. As a result, Emperor Hirohito’s opinions on
the crucial issues and events of his 68 years on the throne
during war and peace remained largely a mystery.
With the ascendance of Emperor Akihito, all that wouldchange. To be sure, Akihito would adhere strictly to his constiHE MADE HIS INTERNATIONALISM even more clear in his faretutionally mandated role as “a symbol of the state and the uniwell address on Feb. 24 this year when he recalled that in his
ty of the people,” and thus refrain from making statements on
travels, he had met many people of Japanese ancestry living
matters of policy. All the same, through his actions, his choicein foreign countries. Referring to the prospect of increasingof words and phrases, places to visit – even his body language –numbers of foreigners coming to Japan to augment a declinAkihito would make it clear that he is a people’s monarch, that
ing labor force, Akihito added that he hoped that these forhe is a strong supporter of Japan’s postwar constitution, andeigners would receive a warm welcome as they integrated
that he sees a role for the emperor in promoting peace, reconinto Japanese society.
ciliation, and a Japan open to the rest of the world.
Sometimes, Akihito’s message could be indirect, but noneAkihito made his liberal and democratic views clear eventheless quite clear to those to whom it seemed to be intendbefore responding to questions at his first press conference
ed. For example, in his speech two years ago requesting theafter becoming emperor. When the captain of the Imperial
Japanese government to take legal action to permit him to
Household Agency press club rose to ask the first question,
step down, he referred to the role of the emperor as “symbol”
the emperor stopped him, sayeight times in ten minutes. On
ing, “Please remain seated.” This
Feb. 24, in an eight-minute talk,“TO STAND CLOSE TO THE PEOPLE” he used the word five times.
unrehearsed comment came as abolt from the blue and for a few
Could he have been directing his
seconds the reporter just stood in silence. Then, in a tremmessage at conservative politicians making moves to rewrite
bling voice, he blurted, “But your Imperial Majesty, it has
Japan’s postwar constitution, the first line of which refers to
been decided that I should stand.”the emperor as a symbol of the Japanese nation and the unity“In that case,” said the emperor, “Please feel free to stand.”of the people?
Akihito has spoken often about how he has given muchthought in his time on the throne to how he could best fulIN THE PAST THREE decades, it is this simple exchange between
fil his symbolic role. He often used the words “kokumin ni
emperor and press, not the content of any of the questions
yorisou,” meaning “to stand close to the people” in how heand answers that I listened to from my seat in the back ofhas seen that role. But he and Empress Michiko have done
the room, that remains fixed in my mind. And that is how it
more. During many visits to evacuation centers to comfort
should be, because by asking the reporter not to “stand on
residents of areas affected by natural disasters, he and the
ceremony,” the new emperor indicated clearly that he wanted
empress went down on their knees when speaking with famia more relaxed, closer relationship with his people than could
lies who had spent days living in gymnasiums or community
be achieved during his father’s reign, the first half of whichcenters separated from each other by cardboard partitions.
was defined by a statist ideology that encouraged his subjects
Judging from the results of surveys, Akihito’s efforts durto see an emperor as a “god incarnate,” a distant, though
ing the past 30 years to democratize the imperial institubenevolent figure upon whom subjects were not permitted totion have met with virtually unqualified success. Accordinggaze directly. Postwar efforts to turn Hirohito into a people’sto an NHK survey conducted in 2009 on the 20th annivermonarch were not entirely successful. It was evident fromsary of Akihito’s ascent to the throne, 85 percent of responthat first press conference that the new emperor would movedents either agreed wholeheartedly or in large part with thequickly to shrink the distance between the imperial institustatement that the emperor was fulfilling his constitutionaltion and the people.
role. The results of a Mainichi Shimbun survey taken this year
The first change Akihito made was in the language he usedraised the ratio to 87 percent. Questions relating to how closein public. Unlike the strictly regulated speech of his father –people felt to their emperor also elicited high scores.
it was thought that emperors should not use polite language
If one were to find fault with this liberal, democratic, incluwhen speaking to their subjects – Akihito chose to speak insive and caring emperor, it would be that he gives hereditary
public using normal everyday Japanese.
succession a good name. ❶But that was not all. Through his 30 years on the throne,
Akihito has used language with great care, making his liberal and inclusive views known often by means of a single
Andrew Horvat was FCCJ president in 1988/89, and represented theword or expression to convey a major message. For example,
Club at the funeral of Emperor Hirohito and the first press conference
when Japanese news organizations reported in 2015 that thegiven by Emperor Akihito.
FCCJAPRIL 20197

Feature: An era bows out

The crown prince’s
Roman Holiday
The Heisei Emperor has long been a sympathetic and inspiring rolemodel on the domestic and international stage. Does a little-known
overseas incident hold a clue to his emotional development?
seen the stage show at the Music Hall but stayed for the movie Roman Holiday,” he wrote. “I only hope that the movie did
not result in causing you any problems!”
he 30 years of Japan’s Heisei Era will come to an end
What impact could a recently released Hollywood film havewith the abdication of Emperor Akihito at the end of
had on the young prince that was cause for concern? Looking
April. During a reign that began in January, 1989, heback, it appears that the film could have had an emotionalhas been a unifying figure, paying numerous visits to places
connection that other movies couldn’t have offered. The plot
hit by natural disasters in addition to his regular duties. Heof the romantic film concerns Crown Princess Ann (played byalso has made commemorative journeys to WWII battlefields
Audrey Hepburn) of a fictional country, who, during a statein Okinawa, the Philippines, Saipan and other locations, tovisit to Rome, becomes frustrated with her tightly restrictedconsole the spirits of those killed in the war.
schedule and secretly escapes her handlers.
In visits to areas hit by natural disasters, the emperor has
By chance encounter, the princess meets American reportoften offered his consolation to survivors while kneeling on
er Joe Bradley, played by Gregory Peck, who provides her withthe floor – a demonstration of humility that has surprised
overnight accommodations at his apartment. The next mornand deeply moved the public. On the Saipan visit, he and theing, an astonished Princess Ann – reluctant to give up her
empress paid tribute not only to Japanese memorials, but tonewly acquired freedom, accompanies Bradley incognito on athose erected for Korean war victims and American soldiers.
scooter tour of Rome. The two sense the stirrings of romance
At the same time, the emperor has refrained from visiting
but, in the end the Princess’s duty as a symbol to her people
Yasukuni Shrine, where the souls of war criminals, some ofoverrides her desire for freedom.
them Class-A, are consecrated – an omission that has rankled
Perhaps in his letter to the Grand Chamberlain, Rockefeller
domestic conservative organizations.
was showing concern that the young Japanese prince may
As a symbol of the Japanese nation, the emperor has always
have been stirred enough to imagine escaping from his own
maintained a strong image of passivity, but his actions appear
imperial demands.
to reflect his own firm intentions. But what are the origins of
After all, the time was only eight years after the war’s end,
his guiding principles? A letter written 66 years ago may shed
and Crown Prince Akihito was on a ground-breaking journew light on this question.
ney arranged around a visit to London for the coronation of
I found the faded letter, typed in English and bearing theQueen Elizabeth II, representing
his father Emperor Hirohito. His
itinerary was daunting: covering“WHAT A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE IT WAS FOR THE
PRINCE! . . . THE FREEDOM TO MAKE HIS OWN CHOICES . . .” 14 countries, including France,
Spain and the U.S. Though Japan
had recently regained its independence with the ratification of the San Francisco Peace Treaty,
reference, “Crown Prince,” filed in obscurity in the vault of thethe country was still viewed unsympathetically by many, andRockefeller Archive Center, an impressive 32-room mansion
another aim of the crown prince’s journey was to repair Japan’son the outskirts of New York city. Dated October 16, 1953, it
image as part of its reemergence onto the international scene.
was addressed to Takanobu Mitani, the Grand Chamberlain of
the Imperial Household Agency. The author was John D. RockDURING HIS VISIT TO New York City, a dinner party was held
efeller III, a prominent member of the Rockefeller family.
for the crown prince, hosted by the Japan Society, of which“It is very good to know that the Crown Prince found his
John D. Rockefeller III was president. Rockefeller also hosted
visit to our country both interesting and enjoyable,” Rockthe prince and his entourage at his family ranch in Jacksonefeller wrote. “I feel it a real privilege to have had a small part
Hole, Wyoming.
in relation to his program.”
Before the arrival of his guest, Rockefeller sought theadvice of Mrs. Elizabeth Gray Vining, an American woman
THE 19-YEAR-OLD Akihito had just departed the U.S. for home
who taught English to the crown prince in the immediate
after completing an overseas journey that lasted more thanpostwar period. It was apparent to many that Mrs. Vining
six months. And the letter from Rockefeller reveals some
had played a larger role than simply an English teacher, but
details of the crown prince’s agenda, at least in the U.S. “I
had served in effect as an adviser to the Imperial family,
was terribly pleased to learn that His Highness had not only

By Eiichiro Tokumoto

T

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Holiday Romance“I’d like to do justwhatever I liked.”especially the young prince.
He was 12 years old when she first encountered him. She
found the crown prince polite and bright, but she was also
under the impression that he lacked the initiative to act on his
own. When prompted on where to go, what to do or what totalk about, he seemed to always defer to those around him. To
rectify that, Vining felt a shortcut would impart him with thesense of having the right to freely make his own decisions.
In her memoirs, titled Windows for the Crown Prince, Vining
recalls: “in order to stir up the passivity which tended to leave
all decisions, all initiative, to others, I began to say, ‘What
shall we do first, dictation, conversation, reading?’ At first,
he would demur, ‘You say,’ but after being prodded, he would
generally choose dictation, which he liked least.”
In accord with Vining’s views, Rockefeller instructed his
staff to “give him his choice of the various things he could doat the ranch and let him plan his own activities there rather
than to arrange them specifically and in advance.”
During his stay at the ranch, the crown prince was able toenjoy dancing and fishing, and, upon being escorted to the
nearby town, took a meal at a cafeteria while mingling withaverage citizens for the first time in his life.
AFTERWARDS, THE RANCH STAFF sent Rockefeller a six-page
report, which gave a detailed description of crown prince’s
behavior and reactions. Included are the following passages:“The Crown Prince was a different person, and as many members of the party has said to me, this has been the finest visit
we have made in the United States. . . . He had no idea of thekind of people that live in the West and the way they live. So
I am convinced that it was extremely worthwhile having theparty here.”That experience could have been a scene somewhat reminiscent of the fictitious Princess Ann in Roman Holiday. The
report was also circulated to Elizabeth Gray Vining, andFCCJAPRIL 2019

she later wrote an enthusiastic letter to Rockefeller. “Whata wonderful experience it was for the Prince!...the freedom
to make his own choices . . . the Crown Prince will remember with pleasure all the rest of his life – with what influence
upon the history of the world, who can say?”Vining’s memoir also contained a prophetic remark about
the Emperor-to-be. “I had seen a chubby small boy develop
into a poised young man. What of that boy, who will some day
be the Emperor of Japan? What promise does he offer for the
future? He will not have political power, but in a free Japan hewill have great moral influence. What kind of man will he be?”
She almost answers her own question in another sectionof the book: “He is aware of his destiny; he accepts it soberly.
Cautious and deliberate, he has the true conservative’s ability
upon occasion to break radically with tradition.”
Emperor Akihito’s visits to Okinawa and other battlefields
outside Japan, where he expressed his “deep remorse” for thewar, in defiance of backlash from domestic conservative elements, was done from the posture of a constitutional monarch
acting in accordance with his own will, which was precisely
what Vining had encouraged the future Emperor to learn.
In the decades following his world tour, the young Crown
Prince grew up, became monarch and senior statesman ofJapan for the three decade-long Heisei Period, and is now
on the threshold of abdication. While the Japanese Foreign
Ministry declassified documents of the Crown Prince’s trip,
records of his staying at the Rockefeller ranch and viewing of
Roman Holiday are inexplicably missing.
Does His Majesty still recall his experience viewing Roman
Holiday in a darkened New York movie theater? If so, I would
love to ask what his impressions were. ❶Eiichiro Tokumoto, a former Reuters correspondent, is an author

and investigative journalist. This article is an excerpt from the original
published in Shukan Shincho, and used with permission.
9Feature: An era bows out

The prince
and thechindonya“I GUESS YOU COULD
SAY I AM A WHITE-COLLAR
CHINDONYA,” I FEEBLY
JOKED.

fast, followed by a rush of late bookings. What had looked likea possible loss-maker suddenly appeared to be heading into
the black. Even Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, who hadt was a dull, overcast autumn day in Tokyo. The occasional
earlier declined our invitation, suddenly found his diary hadbreeze stirred the falling leaves and the only brightness
a 10-minute slot enabling him to drop in for a drink to toast
was the vivid yellow of the ginkgo trees outside the Yurthe Club’s anniversary.
akucho Denki Building.
Then, out of the blue, one of the Club’s senior Members
I barely noticed, preoccupied as I was with the Club’s 40th
called me, advising me to pull the chindonya from the event.
anniversary party set for Nov. 29, just four days away. As
There were some elements in Japanese society who would not
event committee chair, I had much on my mind. Bookings
take kindly to their low-brow presence, he said, and it would
had slowed to a halt and it looked that we might be lucky justbe better “to avoid any unpleasantness.” Such a “common,
to break even. At one time, we had pinned our hopes on theblue-collar pleasing street performance could be taken as ancrown prince and princess accepting our invitation, handinsult to the royal couple,” he said.
delivered in September; two months latWhat to do? I consulted Ryozo (SmiStarring with the dance
er, not a word had been heard.
ley) Matsuoka, our indefatigable F&B
The crown prince and princess
But later that morning, a breathmanager and an expert in diplomacy at
dancing at the Club’s 40th anniversary
less and excited Jurek Martin, Financial
the time. We called the Kunaicho to seekcelebrations – the day he firstTimes bureau chief and FCCJ president,
their advice. “It’s your party,” we were
witnessed chindonya.
phoned me. “We’re wanted at the paltold. “We are the guests.” That seemed
ace,” he said. “Now.”
clear enough, so we gave the green light to
So off we went with Nobuyoshi
the chindonya.
Yamada, then the Club’s administraThe musicians performed as intendtion, liaison and protocol chief, not toed throughout the dinner, with their
the Imperial Palace but to the Crown
chins chinning and dons donging as
Prince Department of the Kunaicho, thethey were supposed to. The only comImperial Household Agency, to discussplaint we received was from an unhapthe invitation. They had decided that thepy attendee who thought the raffle
couple would attend.
tickets were too expensive.
Elated, we set about revising some
During the desserts and cofof the details, so as to appropriately
fee, Club president Jurek’s wife,
accommodate our royal guests. This
Kathleen, came from the headmeant coordination with the Kuntable with a request that theaicho, the police and the Capitol
crown prince wanted to speak
Tokyu Hotel, where the event waswith me. With butterflies into be held. We explained about the
my stomach I went to meet His
participants, including the enterImperial Highness, who quickly
tainment – the bands and other perput me at my ease with a slightformers. Among them were a troupe
bow and a big, warm smile.
of English speaking Noh actors and“I understand you made thea group of chindonya, the elaborately
arrangements for this party,”
dressed downtown street musicians who
he said.
are hired to make a racket outside a new“No, no.” I said, “There was
noodle shop, for example, to attract
a committee . . . many were
custom. I had thought that these
involved.”
onomatopoeically named musicians“I meant arranging the chin­would be just the ticket to promote
donya,” said the crown prince.
the sales of raffle tickets on the“That is true,” I said. “I wantednight of the gala.
to sell raffle tickets and thoughtNews that Their Imperial
they would attract sales.”Highnesses would attend spread

FCCJ EXHIBITION

By Geoffrey Tudor

I

10APRIL 2019

FCCJ

ANDREW POTHECARYMay 6, 2011, Miyako City, Iwate: Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visit evacuees ina gymnasium after the 3/11 earthquake. Photograph by Masayuki Terasawa/Nikkei.

Make some noise
Chindonya are still employed
to drum up business.
“Thank you Mr. Tudor,” said theprince. “This is the first time I haveever seen chindonya in action. Thankyou very much.” He was charm itself,and his English was flawless.
He asked what I did at Japan Airlines,
where I was a member of the public
relations department looking after
international media relations, and I
gave a brief description of my labors.
“I guess you could say I am a whitecollar chindonya,” I feebly joked. The
Prince smiled, as if he understood.
Whatever else happened that night
was soon a blur. The party was a huge
success, thanks to the Imperial couple,
who were photographed for the firsttime dancing together. The media coverage was enormous. The AP photo of
the happy couple (opposite) hangs overthe stairs to the library in the new Club.
That night’s brief conversation
remains one of my most treasured
memories. To this day, I feel immensely
proud of my time as the humble purveyor of chindonya to the man who
would become the Heisei Emperor. ❶Geoffrey Tudor covers aviation for several
publications and is North Asia Correspondent
for Orient Aviation magazine.
FCCJ

APRIL 2019

April 10, 1959: The carriage procession at the Prince and Princess’ wedding. Nikkei photo.

Emperor Akihito’s Abdicationand the Imperial Family

The Club is very pleased andhonored to present this special
photography exhibition of theImperial Family in the same monthas Emperor Akihito prepares toretire from official duties, bringing
the Heisei Era to a close.
A law was passed last year toallow Emperor Akihito to retire, thefirst such abdication in 200 years.
The Heisei era began on Jan. 8,
1989, the day after the death ofEmperor Akihito’s father, Hirohito.

It will conclude on April 30, 2019.
To commemorate the HeiseiEra, this exhibition focuses on theImperial couple and their influenceon the Japanese people.
The FCCJ has only been able tohost this exhibition because of the
support of the Associated Press
and Nikkei, which provided images
from their archives. The FCCJ
offers its sincere appreciation forthat support.

– Peter Langan

11

Feature: The quiet ones

RICHARD ATRERO DE GUZMANRICHARD ATRERO DE GUZMAN

library, enabling Members
to search for a specific title,
while an e-book library
was introduced this past
January. Further enhancements are under way,
including providing accessto online academic journals and the digitization ofnewspaper clippings.
The committee typically meets once a month– although meetings are
suspended during August,when many people are
away, and in the run-up
to the Christmas and New
Year holidays – to discuss the purchase of new books and magazines and any
issues that have been raised by Members.
One of the committee’s primary responsibilities is to deliver a monthly
Book Break event, with an author presenting his or her latest work and thentaking part in a discussion with Members. “We discuss possible speakers at
our monthly meetings and generally try to get authors of books about Japanor at least about East Asia. It varies from politics through economics, cultural issues, history, international relations and even some non-fiction books,”
said Koichi Ishiyama, the other committee co-chair.
“To make an event viable for the Club, we need 15 people to attend and it
is rare that we don’t get that many people, with 30 guests about the average,” Ishiyama said. The late Japanologist Dr. Donald Keene attracted nearly
90 guests when he spoke at the Club around four years ago, while ninjutsu
master Masaaki Hatsumi brought in 127 for “Dojo Giga Heaven.”ore tech upgrades, more elbow room, more attractive surroundings and access to more books, newspapers and periodicals thanever before. The Library, Archives and Workroom Committee has
traditionally provided the tools to enable working journalists to go about
their jobs, and the present 10-strong committee is busy enhancing the facilities and services in the FCCJ’s new premises.
The “brains and memory” of the Club, the library subscribes to 10 foreignand 15 Japanese-language newspapers, as well as 50 magazines, including
Time, The Economist and Der Spiegel. It can access information from a numberof databases, including those of Kyodo News, Reuters and the Factiva service,and has a comprehensive clipping archive that dates back to the 1950s.
The library staff are skilled in fulfilling Members’ requests for assistancein their research – a service that one journalist has described as “achieving
the impossible in an infeasible amount of time” – while a collection of 300
rare books is the envy of many other institutions. Those titles include Lafcadio Hearn’s Fantastics and Other Fancies, from 1914, and the 1880 work, The
Classical Poetry of the Japanese, by Basil Hall Chamberlain.
The library has approximately 11,000 books on its shelves, as well as morethan 1,200 DVDs, with more being added regularly.
“I think we have a very good library service, with more space now than in theold location,” said Suvendrini Kakuchi, co-chair of the committee and correspondent for University World News. “It’s really important that we have these
services as it’s one of the primary reasons that a journalist will join the FCCJ.”

OTHER EVENTS THAT HAVE proved particularly successful have been tie-ins
with the publication of books, such as the memorable evening events dedicated to ninjas and practitioners of traditional Japanese tattoo artistry.
“We often get too many proposals, or a book might be too similar to something that we had relatively recently,” said Ishiyama. “But Book Break events
are really important to the Club because they generate revenue and raise
our profile. The Tokyo American Club and the Mori Hills Club, both of whichhave lending libraries for their members, don’t have anything similar. Since
they are effectively our rivals, these events give us something unique andcan attract new members to the FCCJ.”
Ishiyama says he considers being a member of the committee something ofa perk when it comes to meeting famous authors who are releasing new andinteresting books. “These are people that I’d probably never otherwise get achance to meet,” he said. “They are really smart, they’re incredibly interesting
to talk with and they’ve just written books that a lot of people want to read.
I’m lucky to be able to speak with them.”
Members donate around 15 books to the library every month, while thecommittee approves the purchase of at least five new titles each time theymeet. On occasion, when the selection is of a particularly high standard, thatlist expands to 10 books.
A good portion of the rest of the committee’s time is spent dealing with
queries and complaints from users of the facilities, or issues that crop up –anything from a mug of coffee being spilled into one of the communal computers to articles being torn out of the shared newspapers or someone notbeing quite as considerate towards others as they should. Ishiyama shrugs:“It happens, and we have to deal with it.”

GIVEN THE LIBRARY’S ROLE as a focal point of the Club, the committee has
no plans to rest on its laurels, with digitization a key element of the upgrades.
A database of all books is available through all the public computers in the

THERE HAVE BEEN A number of minor glitches in the library and correspondents’ work room that only became apparent after the move was completed, Ishiyama says, but are being ironed out. The layout of the space has

Keepers M
of thebooks
Jorge Luis Borges wrote that he“always thought that paradise will
be a kind of library.” This month we
focus on the committee in chargeof the lofty kingdom upstairs.

By Julian Ryall
12

APRIL 2019

FCCJ

FCCJ

APRIL 2019

Talking books
Opposite, members of the committee
in the library – Christoph Neidhart,committee co-chair Koichi Ishiyama,
Bobbie van der List and Todd Crowell.
Above left, discussing with Head
Librarian Hiroko Moriwaki. Above right,
co-chair Suvendrini Kakuchi.
been tweaked as it became apparent where
improvements could be made, while otherenhancements – such as better lighting in thearea set aside for easy chairs and shared computer terminals – are being planned.
By and large, Club Members who use thespace and staff who work there are extremely
happy with facilities that are approximately
20 percent larger than the library in the Club’s
former premises and far more stylish and upto-date. What pleases Ishiyama and the committee most of all, however, is the sudden end
to the disappearance of the library’s books
and periodicals.
“In the old library, we were losing around200 books every year,” he said. “The stacks
were open and anyone could go in, so people would take books and not always returnthem. That meant that we had to use our budget to replace those books every year.” Thelayout of the new book cases, and the needfor anyone who wants to rummage throughthe selection to check in with the librarianfirst, appears to have remedied that problem, Ishiyama said.
Hiroko Moriwaki, who has served as thehead librarian for six years, says the new
database makes locating books easier, andthe “more spacious and modern” library
space makes her job more enjoyable. “Everyone who comes here to work likes the newfacilities,” she said. “I think all the membersof the committee are working very hard forthe rest of the Club.
“It’s just a nice place to work.” ❶Julian Ryall is Japan correspondent for the
Daily Telegraph.
13

Feature: Trolling

Are you being harassed online?

TrollBusters provides online pest control for writers, journalists and publishers.
Report to www.troll-busters.com. If you are a journalist, check out their Resources
for more tips and information★ Things to document

STEP 1: WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW?
SOMEONE IS
ATTACKING MYWEBSITE.

SOMEONE IS
DOXING ME.

A denial of service (DoS)
attack is a malicious attack tomake a server or a network
resource unavailable to users.
A DDoS is an attack bymultiple computers.
Get technical support
from companies such as
CloudFlare, Sucuri, orIncapsula.
If the website being targeted
is an independ­ent media
site, a human rights site, or apublic interest site, you may
be eligible for free DDoS
protection.

Doxing is the practice ofbroadcasting private or
identifiable information.
Lock down your physical location.
This can include developing a home
security plan or even relocating
temporarily.
Document everything that’s
happening to create a paper trail
in case you wish to take further
action with law enforcement or theplatform.
Notify your friends about what ishappening.
REPORT
1. Report to the police.
2. Report to TrollBusters
3. Talk to your employer about
what is happening. Decide how you
should approach the harassment
and whether others should monitor
your social media accounts.
4. Document.

SOMEONE HAS POSTEDAN INSULT.
Example: “You need to learn
how to write.”
Ignore the comment and continue using Twitter as usual.
Go offline for a while until you regroup.
Mute the user. They won’t know you have them muted. If you follow the user,
you will still see their replies and mentions in your notifications tab, but you
won’t see these if you do not follow the muted account.
Block the account. This will stop the person from following you and fromseeing or reading your tweets from their account. (They may, however, haveother accounts and will still be able to see your public tweets when not logged
into the blocked account.) Have a friend monitor tweets coming at you just incase there are threats you’d want to document or be made aware of.

STEP 2: WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?

14

It escalates to a threat:
Go to the top of the chart

Be aware that legally this may
not be considered a threat.

Report to Twitter or Facebook

https://www.cybercivilrights.org/onlineremoval/#twitter

Choose whether to engage withuser. Block or mute.

Consult an attorney. Many states
have lawyers that have volunteered
to help victims of non-consensual
pornography

Go to REPORT
Tip: In Montana, a person who says
they will inflict physical harm on a
person, or subject them to physicalconfinement or restraint, can be
fined. And some states, such as
Michigan, have laws against “ethnic
intimidation” for harassing a person
due to their race, color, gender,
religion, or national origin but only
if the harassment leads to threats ofphysical contact or destruction ofproperty. But in California, a person
can only be convicted of criminal
threats if they made a threat tocommit a crime resulting in death orbodily harm, the victim believed thethreat was imminent, and the victim’s
fear of harm was reasonable.

https://www.cybercivilrights.org/
professionals-helping-victims

Make sure to document everythingthat is happening to create a paper
trail for your own records in case
you wish to take further action withlaw enforcement or the platform.
Go to REPORTResources: cyberbullying.org
Removal guide (for all social media):www.cybercivilrights.org/online-removal
Revenge-porn laws in individual states: www.
cybercivilrights.org/revenge-porn-laws

Do not block

SOMEONE HAS POSTED A
LIBELOUS COMMENT.

SOMEONE HAS POSTEDA CRITIQUE.
Example: “A better journalist
would have considered theeconomic impact of the
proposal.”

STOP LOOKING

It goes away:End

SOMEONE HAS POSTEDAN IMPLIED THREAT.
Example: “People likeyou should be shot.”

SOMEONE IS POSTINGSEXUALLY EXPLICIT
PHOTOGRAPHS OF MEWITHOUT MY CONSENT.

It escalates tomore harassers

Libel is a false statement intended to harm
your reputation. Publicly contradict withfacts and testimonials.
Have friends jump in to comment on yourbehalf, or to report any offending tweets.
https://support. twitter.com/
articles/20170408

Choose whether to engage or
ignore the user. (You can look
to see other tweets they’ve
made to get a sense of how theconversation is likely to go.)Go to STOP LOOKING
Go to REPORTOR Go to STOP LOOKING

Resources: www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/
defamation-law-made-simple-29718.html
legaldictionary.net/libel

If they are human• Block the accounts• Check out block lists createdby other targets• Report to TrollBusters

Are you one of multiple
people targeted?

If they are a bot
A bot is a computer programthat does automated tasks.

Are you one of multiple
people targeted?

APRIL 2019

FCCJ

FCCJ

APRIL 2019

SOMEONE HAS
POSTED AN
EXPLICIT THREAT.
Example: “I am goingto kill you.”

Lock down your physicallocation.
Report to the police.
TaIk to your employer,
if appropriate.
Go to STOP LOOKING(under SOMEONE
HAS POSTED AN INSULT)
Resources:
www.troll-busters.com
www.cpj.org
www.iwmf.org/programs/reporta• Number of threats• Details (date, time, picture of
threat)• Number of people involved• Severity of the attack(implied/explicit)★ Twitter Settings

Change Twitter settings to ensure
you only see what you want.
• You can filter tweets by only people
you follow, which means that you’ll
only see notifications from thoseaccounts.
• Twitter also has a quality filter,
which filters out lower-quality
content from people you don’t
follow and have not recently
interacted with.
• In addition to being able to muteor block users, you can also mutespecific words.

SOMEONE IS
IMPERSONATINGMY ACCOUNT.
Report the impersonation
to Twitter. (You will needto share your ID withthem to prove that theimpersonation happened.)
Apply for verification.
If you do get a verified
account, it can help
you authenticate youridentity.
Go to REPORTNo
Go through the appropriate threat steps. REPORT
Yes• Reach out to targeted accounts• Consider starting a block list with other people who
are targeted• Document for your own records• If you choose to filter or block
your tweets, you may want to havesomeone check the offensive
accounts to see if threats against
you have escalated
For instructions on these featuresand how to use them, see
https://support.twitter.com/
articles/20169398.

★ Who to contact as a student

If you are a student, contact theStudent Press Law Center, andreport any incidents to your faculty
adviser, if appropriateThis graphic has been adapted to
fit the page from TrollBusters and isused with permission

No
Then go to the top of the chart. REPORT
15

Photographer members

Club NewsIN MEMORIAM

Fumio Matsuo

Lens craft

Stage right
Prime Minister Shinzo Abewalks to the podium before
delivering a speech at the
LDP’s annual convention on
Feb. 10by Tomohiro Ohsumi

Tasting victory
Kawasaki Frontale’s Leandro Damiao
celebrates his goal against Urawa Reds in the
Fuji Xerox Super Cup in Saitama on Feb. 16
by Yoshikazu Tsuno

A long night
A long-exposure shotfrom above Minato-ku
in Tokyoby Stirling Elmendorf
16

APRIL 2019FCCJFUMIO MATSUO, ONE OF ourmost distinguished regularmembers and a veteran Japanesejournalist known for his efforts
in calling for “true” postwar
reconciliation between Japan andthe U.S, died of natural causes
on Feb. 26 while on a trip to New
York state where he was visiting
his family. He was 85.
A native of Tokyo, Matsuo
joined Kyodo News in 1956 after
graduating from Gakushuin
University. He served as
Kyodo’s correspondent in New
York and Washington D.C.
from 1964-69 and as Bangkok
Fumio Matsuo
bureau chief from 1972-75,
promoting his bookwhere he was president of the
Democracy with a
Foreign Correspondents’ ClubGun at the Clubof Bangkok from 1973-74. He
returned to Washington as
bureau chief from 1981 to mid 1984.
He became a member of the FCCJ in
1985. When he retired from Kyodo he
was deputy director of the agency’s
economic news department. “He wasa tough boss,” recalls Shiro Yoneyama,
who worked under him at Kyodo. “Buthis colleagues admired his talent.”
In 2002 at the age of 68, he cameout of retirement and returned tojournalism, writing articles calling
Essayist Club and was translated into
on Japanese and U.S. leaders to pay
English in 2007. His editorial, “Tokyo
respective visits to Hiroshima andNeeds its Dresden Moment” in thePearl Harbor in symbolic acts ofWall Street Journal of Aug. 16, 2005,
reconciliation between the former
generated significant discussion
wartime foes. He received the Japanon both sides of the Pacific on the
National Press Club Award in 2017 fornature of reconciliation. Other books
helping the realization of landmark
included The Day President Obama
visits to these historic sites in 2016 byOffers Flowers at Hiroshima in 2009
then U.S. President Barack Obama andand The Accommodating History of theJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
U.S.-China Relationship in 2017.
Matsuo was recognized as an
Although modestly regarding himself
expert on U.S. political affairs. His
as one of the “analog generation,” heinterest in the United States stemmed
established his own home page andfrom experiencing as a nine-year olddeveloped a blog – “America Watch”
schoolboy the Doolittle Raid on the– to help get his message of “trueJapanese capital and other places
reconciliation” across.
on April 18, 1942 following Japan’s
At the FCCJ, he was a familiar
December 1941 attack on Pearlfigure in the Main Bar, where he
Harbor in Hawaii.
frequently held court at one of the
In 2004, he published the book,
Correspondents’ Tables.
Democracy with a Gun: America andthe Policy of Force, which won the
52nd Annual Award of the Japan– Kyodo and other sources

He came out of
retirement, callingon Japanese and U.S.
leaders to pay visits
to Hiroshima andPearl HarborFCCJ

APRIL 2019

At
the
Club

“MY HUSBAND IS AN
INNOCENT POLITICALPRISONER. I MARRIED HIM
WHILE HE WAS IN PRISON.
I HAVE NEVER TOUCHEDHIS HAND.”

Akiko Hoshino, on her 72-year-old
husband Fumiaki’s indefinite detention,
after a police officer was killed at ademonstration in 1971. Her lawyers
have submitted a complaint to the UN
Human Rights Council. March 15.

“I BELIEVE ONE DAY
MY FATHER WILLUNDERSTAND THAT WESHARE THE SAME VALUESOF PROVIDING QUALITYFURNITURE, DESPITEDIFFERENCES
IN MANAGING A
LISTED COMPANY.”
Otsuka Kagu president Kumiko
Otsuka, on her willingness to end afather-daughter feud that damaged
the retailer’s brand. March 3.

“THE BILL INTENDS TO
USE THE AINU PEOPLE AS
A TOURISM RESOURCE,
AND WE DEMAND THAT
THE LEGISLATION BE
IMMEDIATELY RETRACTED.”

Yuji Shimizu, Kotan associationpresident, on the recently passed
bill recognizing the Ainu as an
indigenous people. March 1
17

Club news

At
the
Club

At
the
Club

JOIN THE FILM COMMITTEE. . .

“OKINAWAN PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCED
WAR HAVE MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT
THE IMPERIAL SYSTEM.
I PERSONALLY BELIEVE THAT THE
HUMANITY OF THE HEISEI EMPEROR
HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED IN THE FACTTHAT HE’S VISITED US 11 TIMES,HIS WILLINGNESS TO LEARN THE
LANGUAGE, THE SONGS.
IN HIS HEART, I THINK HE
UNDERSTANDS THE JOY AND
THE SADNESS OF OKINAWA.”“I THINK TRADE
NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE
U.S. WILL BE DIFFICULT.
JAPAN IS A TARGETBECAUSE THE TRUMPADMINISTRATION DOESN’T
LIKE DEFICITS. BUT JAPANWILL BE RELUCTANT TO
MAKE MANY CONCESSIONSTO THE U.S. BECAUSE ITPERSEVERED WITH THE
TPP AFTER THE U.S.
DROPPED OUT.”NEW MEMBERS
REGULAR MEMBERS
SAGUSTIN DE GRACIA is the Tokyo bureau chief for Agencia
EFE, the Spanish news agency. He arrived in July, 2018, after
four years as New York bureau chief covering Wall St. and theUN. He began his career on the news desk in 1979 – a position
that has been followed with stints around the globe, from
North America (Mexico, U.S.), Central America (El Salvador,
Panama) and South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile,
Paraguay), to Sub Saharan Africa and the Middle East.

KATHRIN ERDMANN is the East Asia correspondent for ARD
German Radio, part of the largest broadcasting network in
Europe. Born in Berlin, she studied Political Sciences at Freie
Universität Berlin, followed by “Volontariat” – a journalist
apprenticeship. After working for an internet magazine,
a public news radio station in Berlin and for Euronews in
Lyon, in 2005 she moved to Hamburg to NDR. She won the“Deutschen Radiopreis” for one of her reports in 2011.
YASUHIKO HORI is the general manager and chief foreign

Clyde Prestowitz, the Economic
Strategy Institute, Mar. 4

Okinawan Governor Denny Tamaki, March 1

HANIF’S BIRTHDAY“PLAYING AGAINSTICHIRO IS SCARY.
TO SEE HOW MANY
WAYS HE CAN BEATYOU OFFENSIVELYAND DEFENSIVELYIS A FRIGHTENING
EXPERIENCE.”. . . on Thursday, April 4 at 6:30 pm for the must-see
documentary debut of Miki Dezaki – Shusenjo: The Main
Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue. Amassing the typeof balanced, in-depth reporting that was once the purview of
the news media, Dezaki spent several years meeting with awide-ranging group of experts and eyewitnesses, gathering
footage on this most contentious of disputes between Japanand Korea. As the film patiently deconstructs the dominantnarratives and uncovers the hidden intentions of bothsupporters and detractors, it reveals that few are innocent offanning the flames of outrage – and that few of us understandjust why the issue has become so incendiary. Dezaki will join us
for the Q&A session after the screening.
(USA, 2018; 122 minutes; in Japanese, English and Korean withJapanese and English subtitles.)– Karen Severns

PROFESSIONAL/JOURNALISTASSOCIATE MEMBERS
Takao Nagatake, Chunichi Shimbun
Kenichi Sakuma, Makino PublishingCo., Ltd.

Makoto Miyauchi, Toin Hospital
Yoko Niwa, Real Estate Research Institute,Inc.
Munenori Ogata, MUFG Bank, Ltd.
Tomohiro Omoda, Central Japan
International Airport Co., Ltd.
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
Goya Furukawa, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Yohei Suzuki, Shihodo Gallery
Yasuhiro Tamai, K And Blue Co., Ltd.
Corporation
Yoshinao Takashima, Tokyo Maine &Shinichi Fukuoka, Real Estate Research
Nichido Fire InsuranceInstitute, Inc.
Ichiro Yonahara, Japan Steels International
Ichiro Ishikawa, K And Blue Co., Ltd.
Co., Ltd.
Satoshi Ihara, Sun Realty & Insurance
REINSTATEMENT (ASSOCIATE)
Corporation
Noriko Takaku, No affiliation
Masatoshi Kato, Nikka Shoko Co., Ltd.
NEW IN THE LIBRARY
The Bluestockings of Japan: New Woman
Essays and Fiction from Seitō, 1911-16
Jan Bardsley
Center for Japanese Studies, The
University of Michigan

FCCJ Members threw a surprise birthday dinner for longserving star of the Club restaurant, Mohamed Hanif, at Antichi
Sapori, an Italian restaurant in Minami Azabu. He was gifted
a Marinella necktie – one of the oldest and most exclusive
brands of tie in the world, made in Naples, Italy. People from
Hollywood stars to Barack Obama possess one of these ties, as
now does Hanif (who was made in Pakistan 67 years ago).
Celebrating with Hanif were Anthony Rowley, Bob
Kirschenbaum, Mary Corbett, Pio d’Emilia and Pio’s friend
Raffaela Cittadini.
18

news editor for TV Tokyo Corporation. He graduated with a
B.A. from the California State University, Hayward in 1984
and joined TV Tokyo the next year. His 30 years as a TV
journalist has included 3 years as the New York bureau chief,and experience producing special programs featuring the
popular journalist/commentator Akira Ikegami. He took on
his present role at the company in 2018.

Beyond the Gender Gap in Japan
Gill Steel (ed.)
University of Michigan Press

Joe Torre, former NY Yankees
manager and MLB executive,
March 21APRIL 2019

FCCJ

FCCJ

APRIL 2019

Ethical Capitalism : Shibusawa Eiichi andBusiness Leadership in Global Perspective
Patrick Fridenson and Kikkawa Takeo (ed.)

University ofToronto Press
Gift from Masahide
Shibusawa
The Unmaking ofan American : a
Memoir of Life in
the United States,
Europe, Japan and Australia
Roger Pulvers
Balestier Press
Gift from Roger Pulvers
19