For Scandal-Baring Paper in Japan, a Scandal (original) (raw)
World|For Scandal-Baring Paper in Japan, a Scandal
https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/29/world/for-scandal-baring-paper-in-japan-a-scandal.html
Advertisement
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
- May 29, 1989
Credit...The New York Times Archives
See the article in its original context from
May 29, 1989
,
Section 1, Page
TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers.
About the Archive
This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them.
Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions.
A hoax perpetrated unwittingly by one of Japan's leading newspapers led to the resignation last week of the paper's top executive. The episode was another instance of the public's rising sensitivity to unethical behavior in high places.
With all of Japan's newspapers focusing these days the influence-peddling scandal that has torn apart the Government, and on the political maneuvering for the job of prime minister, the scandal at the newspaper, Asahi Shimbun, has captured the fascination of the public. A major reason for the attention on Asahi Shimbun is that the mass-circulation daily broke the original story of political corruption in Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita's inner circle and then incessantly demanded the resignation of everyone connected to it.
Last month, riding the crest of a circulation boom because of its scandal coverage, the newspaper started another crusade by printing an article and picture on page one reporting that scuba divers had defaced an environmetally precious coral reef by carving the initials ''KY'' on the coral. The reef is at Iriomotejima Island, near Okinawa in the southern part of Japan. It turned out that the newspaper photographer had himself defaced the coral, although he apparently kept that fact to himself. A local diver wrote a letter accusing the photographer, leading to an internal inquiry. The photographer was then dismissed and two top editors, including the picture editor, were demoted. Paper Apologizes Twice
The deception deeply embarrassed the newspaper, which began drawing criticism from other papers and from politicians. Mr. Takeshita and his aides were gleeful that their main tormentor in the press was on the defensive. The paper ran two editorials apologizing, but last week, far-rightists brought 30 sound trucks to the building, denouncing the paper for unethical conduct.
On Friday, the paper's president, Toichiro Hitotsuyanagi, resigned, telling fellow executives that the incident involved ''not merely false or excessive reporting, but an act to deceive our readers and society.''
He said readers would ''not easily forget'' the incident and that he would step down after a board-of-directors meeting next month.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Advertisement