After 20 months of research, the Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association released a study on the future of newspapers in February 1998. The project was motivated by the uncertainty spreading through the Japanese media, a result of the explosive growth of the Internet, foreign media moguls? entry into Japan, (1) newly launched digital broadcasting services, rapidly developing technologies in editing and printing, and the shrinking ad market caused by Japan?s economic downturn. Some media critics liken the Japanese press to a dinosaur. These observers think highly of digital media, such as the Internet and satellite broadcasting. They often say that electronic newspapers distributed through the Internet, satellites or both will replace conventional ink-on-paper. They also point to ecological concerns, saying that newspaper publishing is eating up the world?s forests. The association?s study, "Newspapers Take On The Digital Information Age; Can Journalism Survive?" came to four main conclusions. First, that it is becoming more important for editors and publishers to make every effort to heighten the reliability of newspapers in the multimedia age. Second, that we should maintain the Resale Price Maintenance System (2) in order to protect our public role as a medium of expression and reporting. Third, that we should try to aggressively take part in electronic and electric wave media that merge telecommunications and broadcasting services, and in which non-media enterprises are ready to participate. And finally, that we should unite to solve such imminent problems, instead of spending excessive time and energy on competitive battles to expand our readership.
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The editors in charge of Yomiuri's Internet services thought it would take a few years just to break even, which turned out to be a slightly optimistic forecast. |
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The Japanese press has been forced to deal with drastic changes initiated by quickly advancing digital technologies since the late 1990s, even before "IT Revolution" became a buzzword in Japan. With the burst of the IT bubble economy in the United States, Japanese business leaders are likely to think twice before letting the IT Revolution into their offices, envisioning a huge investment to build up a digital network that ultimately yields poor returns. Again and again, they have the same nightmare: digitized offices equipped with networked computers defy the promise of a "paperless office" and instead produce mountains of printed documents. They doubt whether the IT Revolution can truly enhance productivity.But even with such doubts about its economic benefits, major industries in Japan cannot afford to ignore the IT Revolution. Japan?s press is no exception. Tough competition among Japanese national and local newspapers has forced publishers to digitize the processes of editing, printing and shipping. At the same time, pressure from overseas has led them to expand their news distribution services from conventional ink-on-paper to such digital media as the Internet, cell phones and satellite data broadcasting. Stakes are high with such newly launched digital services because of their lower profitability. Japanese newspaper publishers worry that Japanese youths, who are potential subscribers to newspapers, will be addicted to digital gadgets and pay little attention to a print culture. This essay analyzes the Japanese press in the age of the IT Revolution, focusing on one of the leading national dailies, The Yomiuri, (3) where the author is employed. Newspapers in Japan The first modern, printed newspaper in Japan appeared in the late 19th century, after the Meiji Restoration of 1868 led Japan to open its doors to Western culture. In feudal times, especially in the Edo period under the Tokugawa Shogunate, ordinary people loved to read gossip written on pieces of wood named "kawara-ban" that sold for a penny or two on the street. The Yomiuri, one of the oldest Japanese newspapers, takes its name as well as its origins from kawara-ban. Yomiuri literally means a newspaper with its headlines read (yomi) and sold (uri) on the street. The Yomiuri will celebrate its 130th anniversary in 2004. Today, Japan?s press comprises 122 daily newspapers printing 72 million copies every day across the nation. This compares to 56 million copies in the United States and 42 million copies in China. Given that Japan has a population of about 126 million people in 43 million households, this works out to more than one newspaper per household. At the root of this world-leading readership are Japan?s almost 100-percent literacy rate, economic prosperity and a coast-to-coast home delivery system. (4) Once a month, Japan has a press holiday, on which neither a morning nor evening edition is printed. These holidays were established to give delivery personnel a break from their demanding schedules. Yomiuri Shimbun prints The Yomiuri in Japanese and The Daily Yomiuri in English. The Yomiuri has both morning and evening editions printed at 22 domestic printing sites and five overseas printing sites. A total of 10.2 million copies are printed of the morning edition and 4 million of the evening edition, excelling competing newspapers The Asahi, The Mainichi, The Nihon Keizai and The Sankei. The Guinness Book of World Records lists The Yomiuri as the world's biggest commercial newspaper.
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