Under pressure...

Working as a correspondent, I always feel the invisible pressure... The western media always write everything... especially if it's threatening to the West... obviously. And the existence of this nation is already a threat to them... so they write everything! I always receive these wired news and I have to make a decision to write about the same topic or not even before I get the first hand information myself.
Please be reminded that we're not a "western" medium! Why do I have to be intimidated if I don't write about stories that they write! If I'm going to continue my job, I would love to go to Asia, but everyday I'm losing my motivation. I'd rather completely quit what I'm doing and go to the United States, but visiting my hometown last week, I'm fully aware that it's not easy to earn a living in that country.
So for now, all I can do is go on feeling the pressure and hope for the best, that someday I would be able to take a job I would love to engage in!

PS

we shared our Japanese souvenirs with my staff... they're all tasty!
thanks Mom and Dad!


and with some magic liquid, I had my favorite snack at night!

Back in the ring

The opposition, defiant as always, returned to the fight against the authorities. They never said they will back down so it was no surprise, but though there's many people risking their lives, it's now more like a propaganda warfare and I'm trying to be cool as possible unlike the Western media who don't even have correspondents inside the country. I know there will be no end to this war and my country may have done the same though ours ended when we lost the World War more than 60 years ago. I can't imagine how hard it is to apologize as I always try to be apologetic as I detest people who are angry and threatening. Why do they have to hate each other so much? Maybe anger is the fuel for these people and the propaganda backing both sides is happy to fuel them up for more crashes. I hate even more those people who are bystanders and taking part in the propaganda war. They're surely going to say "we're just reporting what's happening". Yeah sure... Sorry, but I think they're just reporting about what they think what's happening, or rather what they would want to see happen. Being a propaganda machine for their nation's interest, I think they're doing their job correctly, but sorry, I loathe these guys!

PS
Today's late dinner...

some Indian curry my wife brought home!

Crackdown...

We hear about more arrests and I really had to be careful about how to keep our profile low... we can't be cracked down as that will mean the closure of our office! We tried to get information through witnesses, but it's really hard with the mobile phones not reacting with too much people jamming the line... I could not report on what is going on, though if I were there to see it, there would be no problem about timely reporting! I have to calm down and try my best with the restrictions... Oh, how stressful could this be!


the mobile SMS system was completely dead...

PS
I think the Iranian team's chance to get to the World Cup is just over... they were winning 1-0 well into the second half, but a South Korean hero, Park Ji Sung's goal could have finished off any hopes... I heard Japan has lost its last game against Australia... not a good day to watch soccer!


he's finished off the Iranian team...

Broadcasting frenzy!

I had three live broadcasts today... The death toll at yesterday's shooting has climbed to seven... They even announced the number on state media and it was very surprising that they even showed some footage!
Though I didn't go outside to cover anything, it was turmoil inside my office to prepare and talk about the breaking news updated as time goes by minute after minute!

PS
Our correspondent from Tokyo collapsed late last night... we had him go to the hospital first thing in the morning, and again I was very surprised I could have made the wrong mistake not to get him to one overnight... he seemed to have slept fine with some medication and after his treatment at the hospital, I finally felt relieved everything seemed to be fine... phew...

PPS
We had words from the authorities that we are banned to cover any material that is not permitted, especially the demonstration by the reformists... it's in fact a ban on the foreign media including us... I think we're in deep trouble!


this is how use things are censored!


I hope I can rest like you... or pretend I'm dead like you!

The internet was filled with the news...

but they probably won't be at the top pages tomorrow, because the newspapers are proud that they have already written about it... writing their forecast articles days before...

(short article from Kyodo)
◆Tokyo air pollution victims decide to accept court-brokered deal
TOKYO, June 30 KYODO
Hundreds of asthma patients involved in a damages suit over air pollution decided Saturday to accept a court-brokered deal which requires diesel-powered vehicle makers to offer them 1.2 billion yen in a settlement, leaders of the plaintiffs said.
The decision comes as the plaintiffs are preparing to settle the damages suit with the defendants, including the central government and a state-run toll road operator, over air pollution caused by emissions from diesel-powered motor vehicles in Tokyo.

A bad start, already at 3AM...

ah, even the last paper couldn't stop writing before it's over...
is this journalism? or just an excuse?

The Right to Edit...

タイトル：編集権…

A crucial judgement concerning the right to edit was given out at the High Court today.












the plaintiff nailed a clean shot! (photo from Jiji)

Article from Kyodo...

きょうは高裁で編集権について重要な判決が言い渡された。
原告がきれいに勝ったね！（写真は時事）
以下、共同の記事… (和訳は略）

◆High court orders NHK redress over sex-slave 'trial' program
TOKYO, Jan. 29 KYODO

The Tokyo High Court on Monday ordered Japan Broadcasting Corp. and two TV production companies to pay 2 million yen in compensation to a women's rights group over a 2001 television program on Japan's wartime sex slavery.
The court acknowledged that the national broadcaster known as NHK altered the contents of the program, which was based on a mock tribunal organized by the group on the issue of so-called ''comfort women,'' after taking into account the remarks of politicians, but it fell short of recognizing intervention by Shinzo Abe, who is now prime minister, or other senior politicians.
NHK said it will immediately take steps to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.
Presiding Judge Toshifumi Minami said the broadcaster's senior officials thought the program could affect the Diet's approval of NHK's budget plan and ''took the words of parliamentary members more seriously than necessary and guessed their intentions, and changed the program to a safer content.''
He further said the program aired by NHK had ''betrayed the trust and expectations of the plaintiff'' as it significantly deviated from what had been explained to the plaintiff beforehand.
The judge also said NHK failed to fulfill its obligation to explain the changes to the plaintiff sufficiently.
But the ruling fell short of recognizing the plaintiff's claim that politicians, including then Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe, directly intervened in the editing of the program.
''I believe the ruling has made it very clear that politicians have not intervened,'' Abe told reporters in the evening when asked to comment on the case.
Members of Violence Against Women in War-Network Japan (VAWW-NET Japan), nonetheless, called the ruling ''an overall win'' for the group and expressed joy.
Rumiko Nishino, the group's co-leader, said, ''I was nervous that if this ruling certified that the case still falls within the range of NHK's editing rights, political interventions would be overlooked under the name of editing...But I am happy now.''
Rutsuko Shoji, also co-leader of the group, said, ''We want NHK to read the ruling and apologize to us, and we want them to broadcast from a citizen's point of view.''
The group, which organized the Women's International War Crimes Tribunal in December 2000, initially sought 20 million yen in damages at the Tokyo District Court saying its members felt betrayed because the defendants in the suit reedited the program without explanation to the group.
It then raised the compensation claim to 40 million yen at the appeals court, arguing that NHK bore heavy responsibility for allowing political intervention.
The group helped the defendants produce the program in which the late Emperor Hirohito was found guilty by a mock tribunal of crimes against humanity for accepting institutionalized sex slavery. The sex slaves, mostly from Korea, were referred to as comfort women by the Japanese authorities.
Abe has admitted urging NHK to alter the program as he felt the contents were ''biased,'' but he denied having pressured the broadcaster and NHK has also said it made the changes in the course of regular editing operations and on its own initiative.
The reedited program omitted certain elements, including the mock tribunal's ''guilty'' verdict on the late emperor, who is posthumously known as Emperor Showa, testimonies by former soldiers and the name of the event organizer.
The group also said during the appeals court hearings that the reediting of the program would lead to a further coverup of the issue of wartime sex slavery and tolerance of political interventions.
The mock tribunal was intended to urge the Japanese government to take legal responsibility and to compensate women forced into sexual slavery for the Japanese military before and during World War II, according to the group.
The ''ruling'' by the mock tribunal was handed down by a panel of four judges led by Gabrielle McDonald, the former president of the International War Crimes Tribunal on the Former Yugoslavia.
In March 2004, the Tokyo District Court ordered one of the production companies to pay 1 million yen to the group over the case, leading the company and the advocacy group to file appeals. The district court dismissed the group's demands for redress from NHK and the other production company.
Abe and Shoichi Nakagawa, another senior lawmaker from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, were reported to have pressured NHK to refrain from broadcasting the content that was later removed.
NHK is chiefly funded by viewers' subscription fees. Its budget and business plan require parliamentary approval. The government also provides funds to NHK's international shortwave radio service and is authorized by law to issue orders on what to air on its international shortwave radio programs.
Under Abe's administration, the government issued an unprecedented order to NHK in November to place emphasis on the issue of North Korean agents' past abduction of Japanese nationals in its international shortwave radio service.
Kyodo

After participating in the confusion, or rather a festival at the press club, I went out to drink with my sources...
It's always tough to be a journalist, but nothing's new about building a relationship of mutual trust with sources!
I think we all know that... and that nothing's inexcusable!

記者クラブで混乱というよりお祭り騒ぎに参加したあと、取材先と飲みに出た…。
ジャーナリストでいることは厳しいことだが、取材先との信頼関係構築は真新しいことをやってる訳じゃない！
みんな分かってると思うよ…言い訳ができないこともね！