The magazine of The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of JapanYEAR OF THE
RED MONKEY:
JOURNALISTS’
PREDICTIONS
FOR 2016

January 2016,
Volume 48 No. 1, ¥400

ARE
YOU
REDDY
?

Crock ‘n’ trolls
Should journos
fight back?
Profiled
Stefano Carrer
Ex-hostess,deaf single
mother – andpolitician

Vol. 48, Number 1

January 2016

contact the editors

no.1shimbun@fccj.or.jp
Publisher FCCJ
Editor Gregory Starr
Art Director Andrew Pothecarywww.forbiddencolour.com
Editorial Assistants Naomichi Iwamura,Tyler Rothmar
Photo Coordinator Akiko Miyake
Publications committee members
Gavin Blair, Freelance (Chair); Geoffrey Tudor,
Orient Aviation; Monzurul Huq, Prothom Alo;
Julian Ryall, Daily Telegraph; Patrick Zoll, Neue
Zürcher Zeitung; Sonja Blaschke, Freelance;
John R. Harris, Freelance

In this issue
The Front Page
From the President by Suvendrini Kakuchi
2015 by the numbers

p8
4
4

Monkeying aroundby Club Members

6

Listening with pen and paper
by Sonja Blaschke

8

ProfileStefano Carrer
by Tyler Rothmar

10

Into the valley of the trolls
by David McNeill

12

Pakkun's view from the inside
by Julian Ryall

14

A messy maul for Japan’s rugby PR
by Fred Varcoe

15

Exhibition
Art is Mirror Reflecting Nature
by TAiYO((◎))KEiTA
Club News
Join the Film Committee . . . /The FCCJ Christmas Party/
New Members/New in the library
FCCJ

JAN 2016

16
17-18

SONJA BLASCHKE

Assemblywoman
Rie Saito

FCCJ BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President Suvendrini Kakuchi,
University World News, UK
1st Vice President Peter Langan, Bloomberg News
2nd Vice President Imad Ajami, IRIS Media
Secretary Mary Corbett, Cresner MediaTreasurer Robert Whiting, Freelance
Directors at Large
Masaaki Fukunaga, the Sanmarg
Milton Isa, Associate Member
Yuichi Otsuka, Associate Member
James Simms, Forbes Contributor, Freelance
Ex-officio Lucy Birmingham
Kanji William Sposato, Freelance
FCCJ COMMITTEE CHAIRSAssociate Members Liaison Milton Isa
Compliance Kunio Hamada
DeRoy Memorial Scholarship Masaaki Fukunaga
Entertainment Sandra Mori, Suvendrini Kakuchi
Exhibition Bruce Osborn
Film Karen Severns
Finance Yuichi Otsuka
Food & Beverage Robert Whiting
Freedom of Press Pio d’Emilia, Khaldon AzhariHouse & Property Peter Langan
Human Resources Suvendrini Kakuchi
Information Technology Roger Williams
Library, Archives & Workroom Koichi Ishiyama,
Suvendrini Kakuchi
Membership Peter O’Connor, Monzurul Huq
Membership Marketing Bill Shin, Rie Sakamoto
Professional Activities David McNeill,
Tetsuo Jimbo
Publications Gavin Blair
Special Projects Haruko Watanabe
Web Committee Gavin Blair
70th Anniversary Panel Yoshio Murakami
Foreign Press in Japan Justin McCurry

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan
Yurakucho Denki Building, North Tower 20F,
1-7-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0006.
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
Correspondents’ Club of Japan.
Please pitch and send articles and photographs, oraddress comments to no.1shimbun@fccj.or.jp
Read the Number 1 Shimbun online:
fccj.or.jp/number-1-shimbun/
Orangutan cover photograph: Ferlistockphoto
Underpants added by Andrew Pothecary3

FRONT PAGE

From thePresident
WISHING ALL MEMBERS A Wonderful
New Monkey Year – the best in health,wealth and may all your dreams cometrue!
Perhaps this sounds like wishful
thinking, but a good dose of positive
thinking is, I believe, the best way
to launch 2016 at the Foreign
Correspondents’ Club – which is tackling
important issues to maintain its fiscal
health and journalistic integrity.
On the management side, the board
will be looking to finally clear the staff
litigants’ case. A settlement has alreadybeen reached at the Labor Tribunal andfinal payment now awaits GMM approvalfollowing our by-laws. Ending this second
lawsuit will mean more savings for the
FCCJ and new opportunity for members
and staff to start working together again.
The next big step is pushing ahead
with plans for the Club move in 2018.

We all want a swanky new FCCJ in theswanky new Mitsubishi Building in theswanky Marunouchi area. But lurking
over our head is the very real battle offinding solutions on how to achieve this.
A nagging issue is coping financially,
especially with the stark fact of thedwindling numbers of journalists, as they
move to other locations or simply retire
from their jobs. Your ideas and support
are most welcome.
On the journalism front, the Freedomof the Press Committee is planning aseminar in the new year to shed lighton the deeper nuances of this critical
topic. Indeed, against the spanning of
cultures in a growing globalized world,
the definition of press freedom must also
address the complexities of multiculturalsocieties while maintaining absoluterespect for the right to information andspeech. Thanks to the diversity within the
FCCJ we can expect a lively discussion
and fresh perspectives that willcontribute to the ongoing international
debate on press freedom.
I also would like to report that Asianjournalists, who still represent a minority
in the FCCJ, plan to start a new forum
group that will meet on a regular basis,

mainly to discuss and share insights onregional development. It is a well-timed
move as Japan begins building stronger
alliances with the fastest-growing region
in the world. I am looking forward to theemergence of this platform, to which I
will also belong, as a means of usheringin dynamism in the Club and to help
pave the way to expand the numbers ofmembers from Asia.
Finally, I forecast a more diplomatically
active Japan in the new year as I observe
the flurry of new approaches undertakenby the Abe government. The latest
initiative was in December, with the highlevel visit to Delhi by the prime ministerto meet his counterpart, Narendra Modi.
This resulted in new bilateral pledges andShinkansen deals with the leader of the
sprawling Indian subcontinent. The media
on both sides have been supportive ofa stronger alliance, touted as important
for a security balance in the region,
while pointing out the huge economic
potential for both.
And so I wrap this month up with a
toast to the prosperity of the FCCJ in
the coming year.
– Suvendrini Kakuchi

Mar. 20
2.

July 233.

4.

123 attendees

EDDIE JONES, former head coach, Japan National
Rugby Team
Nov. 2

4

126 attendees

KO NAKATA, expert on Islamic Law/Prof. Doshisha U.
Jan. 227.

132 attendees

YASUO HASEBE, Prof. Constitutional Law, Waseda Law
School; SETSU KOBAYASHI, prof. emeritus, Keio U.
June 15

107 attendees

Haruhiko Kuroda’s press
conference topped the list
for attendees (203), but
the governor of Okinawa,
Takeshi Onaga (right)
appeared twice during
the year, with a totalof 247 attendees.

120 attendees

Mar. 8

9.

TAKESHI ONAGA, governor of Okinawa
Sept. 249.

5.

25,421 views

FUNASSYI, Unofficial mascot of Funabashi City
Mar. 4Robert J. Shiller,“Are We Headed For
Another Financial
Crisis?,” which you
can see on the FCCJ’s
YouTube channel

6.

HIROAKI KOIDE, former Kyoto U. Asst. Prof.
“The Trouble with Nuclear Power”
Apr. 24

7.

IKUHIKO HATA & YASUAKI ONUMA,“Comfort Women” issue
Mar. 163.

4.

16,910 views

HAYAO MIYAZAKI, film director,“Funds to Block Henoko”
July 124,580 views

9.

JUNKO ISHIDO, Mother of ISIS hostage Kenji Goto
Jan. 23
4,026 views

10.

KATSUHIKO ISHIBASHI & SATOSHI SATO:“Concerns Over Restarting the Sendai Reactors”
Apr. 27
2,389 views

11,291 views

WEBSITE FACTS

5,566 views

YOSHINORI KOBAYASHI, manga-ka,“Constitutional Revision”
Aug. 915,084 views

YUMENO NITO, founder of Colabo, “Helping Highschool Girls Escape the Sex Industry”
May 208.

9,723 views

SHIGEAKI KOGA, formerly of METI, “Chilling of
Freedom of Expression”
Apr. 152.

9,841 views

10 OF THE MOST POPULAR BOOKS FROM THE LIBRARY
Bending Adversity: Japanand the Art of Survival
by David PillingJapanization: What the WorldCan Learn from Japan’s Lost
Decades by William Pesek

Capital in the Twenty-First
Century by Thomas Piketty

Japan 1941: Countdown to
Infamy by Eri Hotta

Critical Issues in Contemporary
Japan edited by Jeff Kingston

Last Boat To Yokohama:
The Life And Legacy Of
Beate Sirota Gordon
by Nassrine Azimi; Michel
Wasserman; With An Introduction
by Beate Sirota Gordon

Fragrant Orchid by Yamaguchi
Yoshiko, Fujiwara Sakuya;translated, with an introduction,
by Chia-ning Chang.
Most read Number 1 Shimbun article:“ON MY WATCH,” by Carsten Germis
147,192 in English, 15,067 in Japanese

If There Were No Japanby Roger Pulvers
Japan and the Shackles of
the Past by R. Taggart Murphy

Manchu Princess, Japanese
Spy: The Story of Kawashima
Yoshiko, the Cross-Dressing
Spy Who Commanded Her
Own Army by Phyllis Birnbaum

TOP 10 ENTERTAINMENT EVENTSGOSHI HOSONO, AKIRA NAGATSUMA,
KATSUYA OKAWA, DPJ presidential candidates debate
July 236.

141 attendees

TAKASHI UEMURA, former Asahi Shimbun reporter
Jan. 95.

184 attendees

TAKESHI ONAGA, governor of Okinawa
May 208.

203 attendees

TENG-HUI LEE, former president of Taiwan

ROBERT J. SHILLER, economist & Nobel Laureate

761,523

TOP 10 PRESS EVENTS OF 2015
HARUHIKO KURODA, governor of the Bank of Japan1.

Total Page
views,
Jan.-Nov.,
2015:

2015 by the numbers
1.

TOP 10 FCCJ VIDEO VIEWS

1.

FAMILY CHRISTMAS PARTY, Dec. 13

6.

RAKUGO NIGHT IN ENGLISH DINNER SHOW, June 4

2.

AFRICAN SAFARI AT THE FCCJ, Oct. 23

7.

YALE’S REDHOT & BLUE DINNER SHOW, May 18

3.

AMAZING THAI NIGHT, May 14

8.

HOKKAIDO SHIRETOKO NIGHT, Feb. 9

4.

OSAKA NIGHT: THE BEST OF OSAKA BUNRAKU
COMES TO THE FCCJ, Sept. 3

9.

A DELIGHTFUL SHIMA EVENING: G-7 SUMMITGOURMET PARADISE, Nov. 1

5.

AN EVENING OF KAGAWA ATTRACTIONS, Oct. 28

10.

AICHI NIGHT, Nov. 6

106 attendees

KOSUKE MOTANI, chief senior economist, Japan
Research Institute; HIROMICHI SHIRAKAWA, chief
economist, Credit Suisse Securities Japan
Sept. 28 106 attendees
JAN 2016

FCCJ

FCCJ

JAN 2016

5

FEATURE
2016

Monkeying around2016 promises to be a year of antic swings between crazinessand simply more of the same – that is, if any of our journalist
prognosticators’ crystal-ball musings come true.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the new focus of his“Abenomics” economic program. “It will be robots,” he said
and changed one of his ministers for a machine.

Beijing faces serious
unrest in Xinjiang– Greg Clark

Abe reads election
victory as mandate to
rewrite Constitution– Julian Ryall, Daily Telegraph– Alexander Lenin, Rossiyskaya Gazeta
Toyota Motor Corp. widens its lead as the world’s biggest
automaker. But airbag supplier Takata Corp. is forced
to abandon the airbag-inflator business after regulatorsorder it to recall every single inflator it has made using thesuspect ammonium nitrate chemistry linked to deadly airbag
explosions and millions of recalled vehicles.

Abe to launch panel tostudy Donald Trump’s
immigration policies– Hans Greimel, Automotive News– Andy Sharp, Bloomberg

Seismologists Masaaki Kimura and Katsuhiko Ishibashi’s
next prediction: a “big one” soon with an epicenter in
Shizuoka Prefecture. Dr. Kimura says “by 2017.” The year
2016 will prove they’re not quacks on quakes.

– Lucy Birmingham– David McNeill, Independent
Japanese cyber-crime prosecutors announce defeat
over Bitcoin theft case; French CEO of Mt Gox declaredinnocent after 6 months of looming incertitude.

– Nathalie Stucky1) The estimated costs of the Olympics rise, as do electricbills and Tepco’s profits – but not the earnings of theaverage person. 2) Stories about weird Japan continue toproliferate as new players join the media circus in Tokyo. 3)
Newly flavored Kit-Kats appear on the market.

– Jake Adelstein
Demographic and economic reality make it clear thecenter of world gravity has moved from the Atlantic Ocean
to Eurasia. Expect continued geopolitical turbulence,
especially in the Middle East, as a result.

M

✭

6

– Benjamin Fulford

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has admitted during histreason trial that he was an agent of the Chinese government.
His mission, Abe testified, was to facilitate China’s takeover ofJapan. “Abenomics would reduce Japan to an economic basket
case, and crypto-fascism coupled with historical revisionism
would make us a global pariah,” Abe said. “Then no one would
care when the Chinese offered to buy Japan and turn it into a
giant theme park.” Prime Minister Toru Hashimoto said thatwhen Abe is found guilty he will be sent to the government’s
new re-education facility on the Senkaku Islands.

To bring good luck –and hence avoid the above – horoscopeexperts advise wearing red underwear.

– Steve McClure

In a dramatic volte-face, Japan relaxes its immigration
policy to accommodate millions of U.S. citizens following
the election of President Trump.

There will be several shouting matches in the Main Bar
between supporters of the so-called ex-Presidents lawsuit
and their opponents, and at least one fist fight, leading
up to the March GMM vote on the merits of the case. But
when it is all over the Club will still be standing. (Fingers
crossed on that last one.)– Bob Whiting
The government cuts the target again for women in
leadership roles, this time to 5 percent by 2050, with Abe
explaining in a speech at an international conference,“Japan must address its problems of low birth-rate andshortage of elderly care workers before it can allow women
to abandon their duties in the home.”– Gavin Blair

As enthusiasm for Japanese food spreads aroundthe world, 7-Eleven is awarded its first Michelin
star for its famous cold spaghetti sandwich.
– Richard Lloyd Parry, the Times

JAN 2016

FCCJ– Justin McCurry, Guardian
Tokyo’s basic taxi fares rise to ¥10,000.
Abenomics backfires.
ORANGUTAN ©FERLISTOCKPHOTO; ILLUSTRATION, ANDREW POTHECARY

A fresh poll ahead of the upper house election says a record
percentage of Japan’s electorate would re-elect Shinzo Abe“in the right circumstances.” Nearly a fifth of those polled
said they would most likely opt for Abe if they bumped into
him after “4-5 glasses of shochu” in a small bar. Abe, who
has yet to score higher than 18 percent of the popular vote,said he had never been to an izakaya in his life, but “might
have a rethink.”

Former PM
Tanaka’s
appearance
at the Club
later thisyear.

– Yosuke Watanabe, Kyodo, Beijing
An interceptor drone from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police
Department’s newly deployed crime-fighting drone squadbrought down a mysterious unidentified aerial vehicle(UAV) by trapping it in its net. No claims of ownership byterrorist organizations have been received.

At an electrifying FCCJ press event, former prime
minister and kingmaker Kakuei Tanaka, who was believed
to have passed away in 1993, announces his return topolitics. Appearing remarkably spry at age 97, Tanaka
says he’d been in hiding at an undisclosed location in
Niigata Prefecture while undergoing rehabilitation froma stroke. Explaining that he “could no longer abide” by
the policies of the Abe government, he announces his
candidacy for the summer upper house elections as amember of the newly formed Ganso Jiminto (Original
Liberal Democratic Party), with Ichiro Ozawa and othercore members of the former Tanaka faction. The new party’s
manifesto assumes a strongly pacifist stance, calling for
repeal of the new Security Law, improved relations withneighboring Asian nations and stemming the widening gap
between the affluent and the poor.
– Eiichiro Tokumoto

Tensions in Okinawa will boil over after clashes between
police and protestors over the relocation of Futenma air baseto Henoko lead to fatalities. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe willcontinue to insist there are no other alternatives.

– Eric Johnston, Japan Times
Horoscopes will be scientifically proven to be so accuratethat the difference between primates will render reddishbrown orangutans entirely unsuitable stand ins for red
fire monkeys, and climate change will re-introduce
dragons to areas of Central Asia (and Wales).

– Andrew Pothecary, cover designer, ox– Tim Hornyak
After the July House of Councilors election, Seiji Maehara,
Sumio Mabuchi and Akihisa Nagashima will leave the DPJ toform, along with some survivors of the JIP, a political party
called the New Security Club. Seiichiro Murakami will quip:“They’ve left the DPJ? When were they ever in it?”– Michael Cucek
Increasingly common sights in Japan, 2016: Goromaru,
tornadoes, and mosquitoes in December.

– Mary Corbett
FCCJ

JAN 2016

Despite the ruling by the JapaneseSupreme Court against allowing married
couples to keep their surnames, theprime minister’s wife Akie goes back to
her maiden name Matsuzaki. To showthat he is serious about “Womenomics,”
her husband Shinzo follows suit andadopts his wife’s surname.
– Sonja Blaschke

7

FEATURE
POLITICS

8(“The hostess with a pen”), published in 2009 by Kobunsha,
became a bestseller. That, in turn, inspired a TV drama anda manga based on Saito’s life story.
Then, after eight years of working as a hostess, Saito left
her job. While continuing to write, she became active incampaigning for and supporting other disabled people. She
began to realize that there was only so much she could do asa regular citizen, and an acquaintance encouraged her to run
in the local elections. Saito agreed – and took another step inher unusual life.
Japan’s strict election laws make things even more challenging for the disabled. The ban on the distribution of flyers anddocuments forces candidates to rely on speeches – a distinct
disadvantage for Saito. But she excelled at the frequent meetand greets, and her life story seemed to help: Some voters told
her that they had read her book and cheered her on. Others,
she believes, could identify with her being a single working
mother struggling to raise a child. She was elected with over
6,000 votes, far more than any of her 50 fellow candidates.
Saito’s success, she believes, is part of a sea change. “InJapan,” she says, “diversity is becoming much more accepted.”

Listeningwith penand paper

JAN 2016

FCCJ

Her success is part of a seachange. “In Japan diversity is
becoming much more accepted.”
Communicating change

Rie Saito in discussion with her
secretary Ryo Masuzawa.

Japanese society has become more open and diverse in thelast few decades – something that applies not only to fashionistas or foreigners, but also to people with a disability,
like Saito.

PHOTOS: SONJA BLASCHKEIn a nondescript narrow meetingroom in the Kita Ward city hall, ayoung assemblywoman sits erecton one end of the sofa. Her demeanor isfriendly, albeit with a hint of insecurity,and it’s hard to fault her for this. Onlynine months ago, 31-year-old Rie Saito
became the ward’s first deaf assemblywoman, and she’s the first to admit that
she has yet to get completely comfortable in her role.
She describes her strength as being
As Japan prepares for the 2020
“good at listening to people’s hearts.”
Paralympics, a deaf ex-hostess andShe has no choice, really, because Saito
has been unable to hear ever since she
single mother turned politician iscame down with meningitis just before
striving for a “barrier free” Tokyo.
turning 2 years old. The brain infection
left her as one of about 340,000 people
with a hearing disability in Japan. It
didn’t have any effect on her ambition,
however, neither deterring her frompursuing a lucrative career as one ofTokyo’s top hostesses, nor from successfully entering politics in April 2015.
An interview with Saito today is far
from a silent affair. While she prefers togive her answers in writing, she is also
adept at voicing her opinions. Becoming
familiar with her way of speaking takessome time – her intonation is quite different from that of a hearing person,and she cannot pronounce some letters,
like “s.”“In the beginning we conversed with
one another via the computer, eventhough we sat facing each other,” recalls
her secretary, Ryo Masuzawa. He has
been working with Saito since her election victory at the end of April 2015,and has become her second voice: forthe sake of the interviewer he repeats
many of her answers slowly and clearly,
sometimes repeats questions very slowly
so that she can lip-read and other times
types comments into her computer.
by SONJA BLASCHKE
When Saito speaks, it is with a visible
effort to produce words with clarity,
which are accompanied with frequent
looks helped her gain work as a hostess, pouring drinks andgestures. Her movements are not shuwa, Japanese sign lanentertaining male customers. In 2007, Saito moved to Tokyo,
guage, however, which she only knows on a beginner’s levwhere she became a top hostess in Ginza.
el. There are two ways of thinking on educating the deaf in
The hostess industry is an unforgiving one, and listening
Japan: One method is to have children attend special schools
skills are considered key. Saito resorted to writing down her
and learn sign language. The one that her parents followed
thoughts with an elegant fountain pen. Luckily, calligraphy
believes in schooling deaf children like regular children,
lessons had given her beautiful handwriting, and Saito soon
which is why Saito learned to read lips.
had a lot of regular customers.
While in her mid-twenties, the unmarried Saito gave birth
SAITO’S ELECTION SUCCESS WAS revolutionary. But her disto a daughter, who she is now raising as a single mother. It
ability was not the only reason. People who only know her
was another challenge that she faced in Japan, a country inin her present mode of conservative costume, neat bob andwhich 98 percent of the children are born within wedlock.
modest make-up might not be able to picture her as she was
One would think that just one of the factors that labeled
just a few short years ago.
Saito as an “outsider” would be enough to stymie a politiSaito’s life has been anything but straightforward. Frustratcal career in a society that cherishes uniformity. But despite
ed by the discrimination she faced as a deaf child in Aomori,
all that, Saito has made it to the mainstream of Japanese
she became a rebellious teenager: She began smoking andsociety, perhaps precisely because her story strays so far
drinking at an early age, and was even caught shoplifting. Shefrom the typical path. Her autobiography Hitsudan Hostessleft high school before graduation. Eventually, her attractive

WHILE THERE IS STILL progress to be made, Japan has come along way from being a country where disabled people were
locked up out of sight from society. Until 1948, children withhearing disabilities were not required to attend school. And
it was only in 1973 that deaf people were finally allowed toobtain a regular driver’s license, provided they were using ahearing aid.
The new regulations did not apply, for example, to bus andtaxi licenses, thereby limiting the choices of work for the disabled. But even that will soon be rectified. An amendment tobe implemented from April will allow deaf people to obtain any
type of driver’s license. Masashi Matsumoto, director at theJapanese Federation of the Deaf (JFD), welcomed the planned
FCCJ

JAN 2016

revision. “We will tackle an enlightenment campaign to havepeople understand that there is no problem with hearing-aid
users’ driving,” he said in an interview with Kyodo News.
Deaf people faced discrimination in many other aspects oflife as well. Until 1979, in fact, they were legally regarded as
quasi-incompetent persons, i.e. comparable, for example, topeople with a mental disability. As a consequence, their rights
were severely limited: they could not get a loan, buy property or succeed the family business. It was only after pressure
from the JFD that the Civil Code was changed to give themequal rights.
Now, in the run-up to Tokyo’s hosting of the 2020 Paralympics, Saito has vowed to make not only the city, but also thehearts of its citizens “barrier free.” “This would make life foreverybody easier, especially the elderly,” she says.
Disabled people are still quite rare in Japan’s political arena.
But about the same time as Rie Saito’s election win, anotherdeaf woman was elected to a local parliament in Hyogo prefecture. Saito interprets this as yet another sign of change.
HER PRESENCE HAS ALREADY resulted in visible changes in
the halls of power. Her office was outfitted with a colored
lamp indicating the presence of a visitor. The assembly
chamber was also technically enhanced. Saito can now give
her required speeches using software that audibly reads out
her words, a system that she finds very workable.
“Hearing” what other people say, she says, has been more
problematic. Voice recognition software displays on a tablet
PC the words spoken by other legislators at the microphone.
However, the error level of the system, especially during discussion sessions, can at times exceed 50 percent. In thosecases, ward office staff sit next to Saito and jot down what
the speakers say on a piece of paper.
The technological inroads used to help Saito’s disability have also been revolutionary, as legislatures throughout
Japan ban technical devices, including mobile phones. Now,
for what is likely the first time in Japan, not only Saito but all
legislators are free to use PCs in Kita Ward’s assembly. And
deaf citizens who wish to attend public meetings can now
borrow the devices. Saito has become a symbol, and her secretary says that whenever it is her turn to address the public
at the assembly, around a dozen deaf people show up.
For the time being, Saito seems much more challenged by
the demands of her new work environment than by disabilityrelated hurdles of communication. Many of the routines of alegislative year are new to her. She has struggled with someof the professional lingo, but she says she receives a lot of
understanding and support from her fellow legislators.
She also draws strength and courage from her voters: “Weneed people like you (in office), who live with a disability,”
is something she often heard during campaigning. The feeling of being obliged to her voters weighs far more heavily
than any fears of stumbling. “I want to work hard and deliver
results,” she says.
Saito keeps her ears open to the needs of others, and therequests for support are many. Saito’s attentive way of listening and communicating with pen and paper, which she
honed during her time as a patient and attentive hostess, now
comes in handy in her new career in politics. “By choosing theappropriate Kanji characters for what one wants to say,” shesays, “one can sometimes express even more than with words
that are spoken.” ❶Sonja Blaschke is a German freelance journalist writing for
publications in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. She also works as a
producer for TV filming in Japan.

9

SERIESPROFILE

Stefano Carrer
by TYLER ROTHMARS

Ore after returning to Italy, officially joining in 1993 to cover
tefano Carrer, who is from a small town in northern Itainternational finance and commodities. From 2000, Carrer’s
ly between Milan and Lake Como, was born to middlereporting was increasingly Asia-oriented, and he became theclass parents in the early 1960s. In his youth he threwde facto Asia correspondent from 2006 to 2009.
himself into a study of ancient Greek, “a very beautiful lanCarrer was based in Italy but on vacation in Tokyo whenguage, but a luxury. I regret not studying German,” he says.
the triple disaster struck in March 2011, and he extended his
He knew early on that he wanted to be a journalist, andstay to cover the unfolding events in Tohoku and Tokyo. “Imade his choices accordingly: “I never wanted to make muchnoticed that Japanese authorities were not particularly effimoney, I just didn’t want to do repetitive things. And maybe
cient in the first few days. Japan works best when the situI was idealistic. I wanted to contribute, to spread news. And
ation is under control, when the dimensions of the disasterso I thought it would be good for my journalistic aspirations
are known and resources can be allocated according to an
to have a background in law.” He took a law degree from theunderstanding of the big picture,” he says.
University of Milan, and a Master of Journalism at around the
One week after 3/11, Carrer found himself being contacted
same time from the Institute for Journalism of Milan.
for comment by other international news outlets, as not a few
The beginning of his career in journalism was marked byreporters had repaired to Osaka to do their jobs. His interviewencounters with two men who went on to become among theers, in search of panicked on-the-ground reporting, were disbest-known Italians in the world. At the tail end of a year of
appointed by his calm answers and cut things short. “In one
compulsory military service, Carrer joined a lifestyle magainterview I told them, ‘The only thing I am at risk of here so far
zine focused on horse riding. His first assignment was tois getting fat from the strange vending-machine drinks until
travel to the countryside with a photographer named Tiberti,
more water arrives.’”
who he later learned was a member of Operation Gladio, a
Carrer wonders what life as a foreign correspondent mightclandestine “stay-behind” NATO operation for armed resishave been like in the pre-internet age, given the time lag andtance in the event of a Russian invasion of Italy.
the mechanics of filing a story in those days. To keep up with
Together they drove to Tuscany, near Siena, to write about athe demands of modern journalism, and to find an outlet forblind young horseman known for terrorizing the countrysidereporting that doesn’t make it to the printed page, Carrer
on his steed. Carrer’s editor later titled the piece “I See withtaught himself video journalism on the fly, both shooting andthe Eyes of my Horse,” and it became the first time that Andrea
editing, and has made more than 400
Bocelli, now a legendary opera singshort videos in two years that can beer, made the national press. “Bocelli
seen on the “Pianeta Giappone” secgave me some tapes of his singing
tion of Il Sole’s website. They cover athat I passed on to a music company
wide range of topics, from culture toin Milan,” he remembers.
politics and finance.
The tapes were instrumental in
As Il Sole 24 Ore’s East Asia CorBocelli’s discovery, and Carrer still
respondent since April 2013, Carrer
has the tenor’s letter of thanks. The
has been watching recent developremarkable story is capped off byments in Japan with great interthe fact that Carrer was hired at theest, and sees parallels with his own
magazine by none other than Pierlucountry: “Italy is constitutionally
igi Collina, a frustrated media comcommitted to repudiation of war aspany manager who later quit anda means to solve international diswent on to become the single mostputes,” he says. “But with our Italrecognizable soccer referee in theian planes, we ended up bombing
world, officiating the 2002 KoreaBaghdad, Belgrade, Tripoli. We wereJapan World Cup final between Bradragged into counterproductive
zil and Germany.
foreign wars by our allies, only to
Carrer traveled to New York to joinrealize later that it was against our
the large community of Italian journational interest. I worry that Japannalists there and was soon stringing
may also lose the way to stay out offor Il Sole 24 Ore, a large Italian financonflict that has until now served its
cial daily rivaled only by the Financial
national interest well.”Times. His first trip to Japan in 1991
As this interview at the Club
was as a freelance international couwound down, Carrer insisted on visrier, a wonderful way to globetrot initing the hallway leading to the elewhich one called a number and chosevators. “I’m impressed by Mishima,a destination, paying perhaps $75
and of course by Kenzaburo Oe,” hefor a round-trip ticket in exchangesays, indicating the portraits of past
for transporting documents and novisitors. “But here! . . . maybe thechecked luggage. Unfortunately, themost important guest of the FCCJ’s
system came to an end after 9/11.
Tyler Rothmar is a Tokyo-based writer and editor.
last 70 years: Roberto Baggio!” ❶He continued to write for Il Sole 24

ANDREW POTHECARY“I worry that Japan
may lose the way to stayout of conflict . . .”10

JAN 2016

FCCJ

FCCJ

JAN 2016

11

FEATURE
JOURNALISM

THE RISE OF THE troll, and the shifting terrain it represents in our networked society,is a particular dilemma for journalists. For
decades, virtually the only rejoinder available
Is growing online harassment justto print readers was the carefully moderated
part of the job or should it be confronted?
letters page, but the internet has opened up
And when does it cross the line?
multiple channels of feedback. Many bloggers
view journalists as fair game because they are
public figures.
by DAVID MCNEILL
Inevitably, the result is a steady river ofbile, but most journalists are understandably
wary of trying to block it. As Martin Fackler,
a former Tokyo bureau chief of the New YorkTimes notes: “You’re walking a fine line. Journalists dish out
or most correspondents, it has become an unpleasantcriticism, and need to take it with the same grace. Otherwise,
morning ritual: opening the laptop and wading throughwe look hypocritical. And we need to support freedom of
abusive tweets and mail. One of my recent articles,
speech, even for our critics.”
on Japan’s plunging press-freedom rankings provoked thisIn practice, most journalists follow Fackler in not feeding
response: “You’re anti-Japanese scum. Japan grows weaker
the trolls, and many don’t even block them to avoid the probecause left-wing traitors here mix with the likes of you. Get
viding the veneer of cyber-street cred. Fackler, who says heout, moron.”has yet to block any troll accounts, advocates only shutting
That’s mild compared to the slurs that percolate on thedown those that cross boundaries of decency. “Short of that, I
Twitter feeds of star reporters. Hiroko Tabuchi, former Tokyo
think everyone deserves the same freedom of speech that wecorrespondent for the New York Times, recalls a stream ofdemand in our own work.”
invective laced with sexual and ethnic smears (see sidebar).
Where, however, do these boundaries lie? Perhaps the only
Justin McCurry, Tokyo correspondent for the Guardian has
line everyone agrees on is the one dividing incivility frombeen branded an “ultra-leftist North Korean spy” and repeatthreats of violence.
edly invited to “Fack off.”
The debate is about to get a legal airing in North America
Many reporters trudge the path taken by McCurry, fromin a case that involves reporting on Japan’s nuclear accident.
engagement to frustration, and resignation. “I have triedF

12

JAN 2016

FCCJ

As most correspondents are only too aware, Fukushima hastriggered terabytes of outraged online commentary by antinuclear activists alleging a cover-up by the establishment
media. Some have attacked journalists and experts, and at
least one, Dana Durnford, has threatened the lives of two
scientists: Ken Buesseler of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts and Jay Cullen of the University ofVictoria (British Columbia).
Durnford used Facebook, YouTube and other social media
to reach a large audience with a disturbing – and deluded message: much of the Pacific Ocean is dying from the impactof Fukushima’s payload. Scientists who disagreed were “massmurderers.” In one of about 300 YouTube messages he declares:“Every university, every academic, every nuclear scientist will
be hunted down and fucking murdered. We want you dead.”
Ironically, Buesseler agrees that governments and journalists
have done a poor job of documenting the impact of radiation.
But there came a point where he felt enough was enough.

“I can put up with being
called a liar. But we counted
four death threats.”“I can put up with being called a liar,” he says. “Lots ofpeople don’t agree on radiation. But when you get thesethreats to thousands of followers, it became a bit cult-like.
We counted four death threats.” Buesseler and Cullen calledin the authorities and Durnford has been charged with twocounts of criminal harassment. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, heclaims he is being silenced and has appealed to his followers
for money to pay legal costs.
Buesseler insists that the abuse had to be confronted.
Durnford has been forced to expunge his videos and commentary from the Net. “In the short term it has brought more
attention to him and has taken a lot of time and energy todeal with – but it has slowed him down,” he says. “I can see
the reluctance to tackling it head-on but these people need
to be told that there are rules against threatening people fordoing science.”

ILLUSTRATION: ANDREW POTHECARY / TROLL PHOTO: FREEIMAGES.COM/CROW GIRL

Into the valleyof the trolls

several different ways to deal with trolls, fromsnapping back to taking the time to dream up
what, in my mind at least, is a rejoinder so
withering that it will surely be the final wordon the matter. It never is, of course.” Increasingly, he says, he reaches for the Twitter mutebutton: When trolls send an abusive message
now “they are simply pissing into cyberspace.”
But McCurry says it’s important to understand the difference between legitimate criticism and trolling. “I’ve had my share of critical emails, tweets and Facebook postings,” hesays. “When the point is made in a temperatemanner and, more importantly, with a realname attached, I take in what has been said
and, if necessary, respond. But I regard thisas reader feedback, not trolling.”
Cyber abuse is a serious issue, notes a
recent article in the Columbia Journalism
Review. “There’s far from any kind of consensus on how to deal with it and what journalists’ roles are,” says author Lene Bech
Sillesen. Law enforcement struggles to deal
with the proliferation of anonymous online
harassment. Platform providers often “suck”
at dealing with trolls, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo memorably admitted this year.
Increasingly, the consensus seems to be
shifting toward confrontation. The Review
cites a growing genre of stories about
unmasking trolls. In the Swedish TV show
Troll Hunters, journalist Robert Aschberg
tracks down and confronts offenders on
camera. “It’s a huge problem,” says Aschberg,“and it’s no different from exposing, let’s say,corrupt politicians, or thieves.”

SUCH EXTREME EXAMPLES ARE rare. For most correspondents,
the problem is limited to irritating but mostly harmless nitpicking. Still, popular Twitter accounts (one attacking the
FCCJ and specific journalists recently boasted 18,000 followers) can creep up Google searches, leaving freelancers more
vulnerable. As Michael Penn of Shingetsu News Agency says:“Anyone searching my name on Google in either English or inJapanese is going to find this garbage among the top results.”
Female journalists are particularly vulnerable, says the
NYT’s Tabuchi. “Trolls elicit eye-rolling from our male colleagues and advice to ‘just ignore them,’ rather than any
acknowledgement that this is a critically serious and deeprooted problem that’s threatening to silence prominent
female voices online.” Michelle Ferrier, an African-American
journalist, felt strongly enough about her harassment tocreate Trollbusters, a platform that allows women sufferingfrom online harassment “to type in the URL of an offensive
message in order to locate the troll,” according to the International Journalists’ Network.
Still, says Ferrier, the best advice for journalists being
insulted – but not threatened – is to often simply step awayfrom the computer. Trolls are simply not worth bothering
about. ❶FCCJJAN 2016

FIGHT OR FLIGHT?
HIROKO TABUCHI, New York Times correspondent formerly
based in Tokyo: “I talked to several journalists I respected foradvice on the harassment I was receiving, and was basicallyadvised to ignore, grin and bear it. I think the (let’s be honest,
basically still white male-dominated) world of foreign media
in Japan has very little understanding of how sick, personal,
and sexual online attacks on women can be – in a way theyusually aren’t for men. Being a local journalist also means
there is little escape. I was personally very disillusioned by thelack of any collective rage or even public support among theforeign journalist community for female journalists (not justme) who were publicly harassed online.”
Julian Ryall, the Telegraph: “I’m firmly in the ‘ignore themand hope to hell they go away’ faction. I just have too muchto do to start a conversation with someone who, firstly,
almost certainly has plenty of time on their hands – they’re
unemployed (for good reason), they’re students of the issue
I’ve written about and want to nit-pick over a 300-word
article that I’ve written, or they’re some sad foreigner who
has lived in the middle of nowhere in Japan for 20 years
and assume that gives them the right to pontificate about
all things Japanese and to tell everyone how much more
intelligent they are than anyone else. The desk in London tells
us to basically ignore the comments section on the bottom ofstories. I get the impression they’re there to generate traffic
and keep people coming back.”
Michael Penn, Shingetsu News Agency: “I agree that smaller
trolls should be ignored. However, certain trolls have gainedlarge followings and can wield an uncomfortable degree of
public influence. When confronted by one of these more
formidable trolls, simply remaining silent can eventually
become a counterproductive strategy. It is a regrettable factthat a certain percentage of people tend to view dignified
silence in the face of public accusations as some kind ofan admission of guilt. If you are holding a position in which
public perceptions about you can have a significant effecton your career or status, you simply have to defend yourself
publicly in these cases, though different opponents may callfor varied strategies to counter them.”
Teddy Jimbo, Videonews.com: “I’ve been in this business for along time so the abuse doesn’t bother me any more, unlessthere are physical threats to me, my family or staffers. It’s justtoilet graffiti and people give it too much attention because
they don’t know how to deal with it. Shutting down abusers
works in one way, however: instead of sitting back and justbearing the attacks, you do something and feel better. It
makes it easier to cope.”
Tim Horynak: “Because of the endless torrent of stupidity
and abuse online, comments on news sites are on the way
out. They’ve been eliminated at sites like Popular Science,
Reuters, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Daily Beast, CNN andothers. More and more people are recognizing that there’s
little value in allowing anonymous users on websites andsocial media. I expect the online landscape will move toward
more of a Facebook-style basis of real names for dialogue as
it matures.”David McNeill writes for the Independent, the Economist and otherpublications. He has been based in Tokyo since 2000.
13

PAC EVENTPRESS RELATIONS

After almost two decades as a popular entertainment personality,
Patrick Harlan is both cheerleader and critic of the Japanese media.

Pakkun’s view fromthe inside
by JULIAN RYALL

JAPAN NEEDS TO MOVE away fromnews programs that shy away fromcontroversy in favor of harmony,
believes Patrick Harlan, the U.S.-born
television personality, and embrace amodel such as that pioneered by Jon
Stewart in the hugely popular Daily
Show on American screens.
“News, from an American
perspective, is very different fromnews from the Japanese perspective,”
said Harlan, who is one half of the
PakkunMakkun comic duo but isalso in demand as a commentator on
television chat shows and recently
started to host the TV show “ThroughForeign Journalists’ Eyes.”“My impression is that Americans
thrive on controversy – and you only
have to look at the leading Republican
candidate for the presidency; he’s awalking controversy, and that’s why
he is so popular.” When Donald Trumpholds forth, ratings go up, advertisingdollars flood in and the station is
happy, Harlan said.
Speaking at a recent press event at
the FCCJ, he said he believes that thiscountry needs more stimulating debateof the news, more options on news
coverage and more interpretation of
the news. But he admitted the different
mindset makes those possibilities lesslikely. “I’m not sure that it would thrivein the same way as it does in America
because when a Japanese television
program does present a controversial
issue, they try to present it with limited
controversy,” he said. “They don’t wantto get telephone calls from aggravatedviewers. But I think it might be time
for a new media model to be given achance, to stoke a little controversy andto take those calls from angry viewers.”
Harlan says he hopes his BS-TBS show
might evolve into that sort of programand he intends to model himself on Jon
Stewart. And for good reason.
“There was a study in the U.S. inwhich they asked people on the street
about their knowledge of domestic
and international events and ranked
them based on where they got their
14

Patrick Harlan speaking at the Club
news from,” Harlan said. “The highestranked were people who listen to
National Public Radio, the second
most informed group were people
who watched Jon Stewart’s politicocomedy – real news with funny jokesthat lingered and gave people a goodunderstanding of the news.
“Third was CNN, then the people
who watched no news at all were thefourth most-informed group - and theI think you can havea strong press corpsthat is polite without
being namby-pamby
and weak.”fifth most informed group got theirnews from Fox,” he added with a shrug.
Entertainment is not a career that
Harlan planned for himself. A graduateof Harvard University, where hestudied comparative religion, he cameto Japan in 1996 with the intention of
staying a year.
Almost two decades later, he is oneof the longest-serving foreign talentoon the Japanese entertainment scene –doing everything from DJing to acting,stand-up comedy and appearing onradio and TV as a commentator. He
also finds time to teach at the Tokyo
University of Technology.
Japan’s quirky approach to comedy

was a difficult skill to master initially,
Harlan admits, with politics andsex jokes effectively off-limits and“red-neck” jokes passing Japaneseaudiences by. He has also had to get togrips with the all-powerful agents who
manage personalities here, as well as
the convention of unscripted “variety”
shows on television.
While praising many aspects of theJapanese media world, he is frank
about his concerns. “Japanese people
do not grow up debating, so you
see very little hardcore discussionof the news on television,” he said.
“Instead, you see people being nice toeach other, which is a trademark ofJapanese society. But the exchange ofideas is not helped by that politeness.
“I think you can still have strong
debate with politeness and I think you
can have a strong press corps that is
also still polite without being nambypamby and weak.” He went on to pointout some “frightful developments
regarding freedom of the press
recently,” including the example of aprefectural governor who refused to beinterviewed by a newspaper because
he objected to an article in a magazine
affiliated with the newspaper.
“And recently, a television company
was taken to task by the government
for the content of one of its
broadcasts,” he said. “In America, thegovernment interfering with the story
would be the story. The government
interfering with the freedom of themedia would automatically set off anincredible response from all media
outlets, not just the targeted one.”
In recent years, Harlan suggested,
there has been a sharp decline inrespect for the freedom of the press
and the media in general. “I see
this as a trend from humor throughcommunication and into the media,”
he said. “I feel the ‘kisha-club’ systemneeds to be revised because it is ahurdle to the freedom of the press.”
He admitted that American news
coverage is just as imperfect as thenews that is served up here – “It’s over
the top and alarmist” – but suggested
that there are opportunities for thetwo countries to learn from eachother’s systems.
“That is where foreign
correspondents have a role to play,” hesaid. “Bringing foreign perspectives
into Japan and exporting Japaneseperspectives to the world. Now, morethan ever, we need you.” ❶Julian Ryall is the Japan correspondent for
the Daily Telegraph.
JAN 2016

FCCJ

Former Japan national rugby coach Eddie Jones shrugged off
his handlers to make a sayonara appearance at the FCCJ.

A messy maul for Japan’s rugby PR
by FRED VARCOE

Japan Times. It became aspectacular own-goal for
the World Cup organizers.
With two major
sporting events – the2019 Rugby World Cup
and the 2020 Olympics– on the horizon, one
would think organizers
would try to avoid such
faux pas, but it seems
many organizations
haven’t made muchprogress. The 2020
Olympics Administration
organization has madesuch a mess of things that I
don’t need to recap it here.
And it seems that theorganizers of the Rugby
Eddie Jones,
World Cup are headed
happy to talk –in the same direction.
finally – at the
The recent performanceClubof the Japan team in
England was one of the
IN A RECENT JAPAN TIMES, columnist
major feel-good sports stories of thePhilip Brasor wrote about the way
year, a PR gift from the gods. And
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe andthe impact at home and abroad was
his handlers try to control press
astonishing. Wouldn’t the Japan Rugby
conferences so that journalists don’t
Football Union (JRFU) want more of
ask unexpected questions. Perhaps thethis lovely publicity?
saddest part was how the media allows
themselves to be controlled and how
MAYBE NOT. SOME YEARS ago, a senioroften journalists actively participate
Japanese rugby official confessed,in their own neutering through“We’re just a bunch of amateurs at thecomplicity and self-censorship.
JRFU.” Sadly, that may be too true of
The sports world is no different.
their media relations staff judging by
One of the most ludicrous examples
the fiasco they made of Eddie Jones’
occurred in the lead-up to the 2002
recent appearance at the FCCJ.
FIFA World Cup. After FIFA President
Soon after Japan’s national rugby
Sepp Blatter sat down in front of ateam’s spectacular performance at thecrowded room full of journalists at a
recent Rugby World Cup, the FCCJ’spress conference organized by Japan’sProfessional Activities Committee
World Cup Organizing Committee, the(PAC) staff asked the JRFU if coachemcee stood up and announced thatEddie Jones, captain Michael Leitch,journalists could only ask questions
fullback Ayumu Goromaru or any otherin Japanese. This was despite theteam member could speak at the Club.
fact that foreign journalists were in
Jones had spoken at the Club a year
the audience and any questions andago and we were confident he would
answers in Japanese would have tolike to speak again, especially as his
be translated into English for Blatter.
time as coach was ending and he was
FCCJ member Joel Legendre-Koizumi
due to leave Japan in a matter of days.
stood up in the middle of the press
The answer from the JRFU
conference to blast the organizers
spokesperson was, for a long time,
for their discriminatory decision,nothing. Emails went unanswered, as
and I later tackled the issue in the
did several telephone calls. Finally,FCCJ

JAN 2016

we were told that Jones would haveno time for us, and that if we wanted
a player, we should contact theirrespective teams. As it was a great
opportunity for rugby to get more
exposure, the curt “can’t help you” wasdisappointing and surprising.
A couple of FCCJ members suggested
contacting Jones directly, so PAC staff
duly sent off an email. Jones responded
positively, agreeing to speak at the Clubon Oct. 31, the final day of his contract
with the JRFU. Terrific.
Well, it was terrific – until JRFU
officials heard about it and asked us
to cancel Jones’ appearance. Whencontacted, Jones said he didn’t wantto cancel the event, so PAC staff told
the JRFU the Club would go ahead. The
JRFU contact then accused the Club ofarranging the event without trying tocontact them, a blatant untruth, andasked that the Club cancel the event– with the added proviso that themembers shouldn’t be told the reason,
since it was the Club’s fault for not
following procedure. Huh?
Curiously, the JRFU then arranged apress conference for Jones – the manwith no time – at the National Press
Club, and then asked us to move ourpress conference to Nov. 2. Luckily,
Jones agreed.
His appearance was one of thebiggest press conferences of the year
at the FCCJ. No longer under JRFU
“supervision,” Jones could say what heliked, which was that rugby in Japan isin a mess and, by implication at least,
they need to work on their PR, an
opinion that – while not particularly
new – was a powerful message
considering its source.
Put simply, sporting events likethe FIFA World Cup, the Olympics
and the Rugby World Cup need input
from all sides and all sorts, including
journalists. Without that, we’ll beseeing more fiascos like the Olympic
Stadium and the 2020 logo. It’s clearlytime for Japan – and the hosts of the2019 Rugby World Cup – to grow up on
the PR front. ❶Fred Varcoe is a Chiba-based freelance
journalist.
15

FCCJ EXHIBITION

CLUB NEWSJOIN THE FILM COMMITTEE . . .
. . . on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 7:00 pm for The Actor, Satoko Yokohama’s first film
since the much-lauded Bare Essence of Life. Busy TV actor Ken Yasuda gives anextraordinarily versatile performance in the role of a lifetime, demonstrating his
skill in a range of parts on a variety of film sets and theatrical stages. The Actor,
which world premiered at the 2015 Tokyo International Film Festival, highlights
Yokohama’s flare for surrealistic touches, unusual imagery and offbeat musicalselections. A witty, warm-hearted paean to a bit-part player – you recognize his
face, but you can never remember his name – the film follows Takuji Kameoka
as he auditions, rehearses and shoots, then drinks away his loneliness with fellow
low-achievers in nearby bars. Then one night, he awakens from a nap and falls
in love with the radiant bartender Azumi (Kumiko Aso). As if that isn’t enough,he’s invited to audition for world-famous arthouse director Alan Spesso (Ricardo
Garcia). Suddenly, Kameoka is facing an existential midlife crisis . . .
(Japan, 2015; 123 minutes; English with Japanese subtitles.)

FCCJ CHRISTMAS PARTY

Art is Mirror
Reflecting NaturePower & Healing
Photo exhibition
byTAiYO((◎))KEiTA
IN MY WEAVING OF the tapestry of
Mt.Fuji and sunshine, I hope you willcatch the feeling of this mysterious
world captured through therefraction of the lens. (All the images
are raw, untouched photos).
I had an experience in 1997, after aterrible traffic accident which almost
killed me, that was a turning point in
my life and made me appreciate thelittle everyday things that I had not
noticed before. I became fascinatedby the magnificent beauty created by
the sunrise, sunset and Fuji. The 1997
incredible encounter with my true
self led to the “Feel The Fuji” website,a social community created withthe concept of “Be Japanese again
through music and art.” ❶16

The Club’s Christmas Party washeld on Sunday, Nov. 13 andwas a great success. It was
attended by over 150 people(including 50 children
and one Santa Claus)– making it themost successful
event of the year.
(See also page 5.)

JAN 2016

FCCJ

FCCJ

JAN 2016

17

CLUB NEWS

New
Members

Discount LexisNexis
Subscriptions
for FCCJ Members

REGULAR MEMBERS

The FCCJ is pleased to offer
members a substantial discount on
subscriptions to LexisNexis’ news
database service, Nexis.com

SONG KAN KAN is the chief correspondent for Shanghai SMG
Media Center. Hailing from Beijing, Song has lived in Japan for
18 years, and has received a master’s degree in environmental
information from the Musashi Institute of Technology. After her
graduation, she has held positions at CCTV, NHK and Phoenix
TV before joining Shanghai SMG, where she reports on political,
economic and social news from Japan.

The Members-only deal
allows for flat-rate access at¥7,900 per month – offering
big savings on a service that
normally costs ¥126,000 per month

MICHIRO OKAMOTO is a Senior Research Fellow following the
Middle East and the international affairs at Yomiuri ResearchInstitute of the Yomiuri Shimbun. He studied Arabic and Middle
East affairs in Tokyo University of Foreign studies, before joining
the Yomiuri as a staff writer in 1983. He worked as a resident
correspondent in Tehran and as Cairo bureau chief before he
was assigned as the general bureau chief of the Americas inJune 2008. He returned to the Tokyo head office in October
2011, where he has held posts as a commentary & analysis
editor, international news editor and as deputy managing editor.
Okamoto was born in Chitose-shi, Hokkaido.

The service will be billed by theClub. The FCCJ benefits from all
subscriptions sold under thisarrangement.
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REINSTATEMENT (REGULAR)

URSULA HYZY is the bureau chief of Agence France-Presse
Tokyo. It is her second Tokyo assignment, after a stint between
Sept. 2001 and May 2005. Hyzy studied economics at university
in Paris as well as Russian at the Institut National des Langues
et Civilisations Orientales. Since joining AFP in 1992, she has
held posts in Lille, Lyon and on the Africa and Europe desks
in Paris. She was then based in Washington D.C. and Moscow
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Prior to her Tokyo assignment in June, she was covering Frenchmacroeconomics at AFP’s Paris headquarters. Her native
language is French and she also speaks English, Russian and Polish.

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
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REINSTATEMENT (ASSOCIATE)
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New in the
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on the FCCJ website or from the
19F Club office.

18

311 iko – nichibei wa bosaide kyoryoku dekiruka?
Keiichi Yoshikawa
Kindai Shobosha
Gift from Keiichi
Yoshikawa

Censored 2016: Media
Freedom on the LineMickey Huff; Andy Lee
RothSeven Stories Press
Gift from Brian Covert

Okinawa Solution:
Futenma o owaraseru
tame niAkikazu Hashimoto; Mike
Mochizuki
Obirin Gakuen Shuppanbu
Gift from Akikazu
Hashimoto

Why Japan?: A Diplomat’s
Perspective
Manlio Cadelo
Shogakukan
Gift from Manlio Cadelo

Atarashii kuni e:utsukushii kuni ekanzenban
Shinzo Abe
Bungei Shunju
Ohotsuku no akari:
Karafuto, senzo kara nomura ni umarete
Yoko Abe
Crews

Kamen no nichibei domei
Mikio Haruna
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Gift from Mikio Haruna

JAN 2016

FCCJ