Tensei Jingo
Tensei Jingo (天声人語, literally, "the voice of heaven is the voice of people") is the title of a column which appears on the front page of the "Asahi Shimbun", a Japanese newspaper. It is a translation of the Latin phrase as "Vox Populi, Vox Dei" ("The voice of the people is the voice of the gods"). The column is limited to 607 Japanese characters. History. The column first appeared in 1904 in the Osaka "Asahi Shimbun". It was named by Nishimura Tenshu, the chief editor of Osaka Asahi Shimbun. The origin of the name is not clear, though  it might be the translation of "Vox Populi, Vox Dei", or "the voice of the people is the voice of god". In 1913, the Tokyo "Asahi Shimbun" started a similar column named The until the end of August 1940. On the next day, both offices of the "Asahi Shimbun" changed the name of the column to The and then on January 1, 1943, The . On September 6, 1945, the title of the column returned to "Tensei Jingo". Characteristics. While appearing op-ed, the columns are actually written by professional newspaper reporters. The column reflects recent news, or change of seasons . It may contradict the editorial opinion of the paper. The column started under strong influence of English essay literature at the beginning of the 20th century. The "Asahi Shimbun" advertised that short essays in the "Tensei Jingo" were frequently cited in entrance examinations to universities. Recently, "Tensei Jingo" transcription note was published. Writers. The writers were top journalists of the "Asahi Shimbun" at that time. Other Japanese newspapers. Other Japanese newspapers have similar columns, for instance "Yomiuri Shimbun" has a column (Henshū Techō, 編集手帳), "Mainichi Shimbun" has a column (Yoroku, 余録), "Tokyo Shimbun" has a column (Hissen, 筆洗) and "Nihon  Keizai Shimbun" has a column (Shunjū, 春秋).