With the assent of Donald Trump to the Oval Office, thus giving him an unimaginable bully pulpit allowing him to accelerate his attacks on journalists and the press. With his unveiled criticisms it gave other world leaders the green light to follow his lead. In Japan for example direct criticism is usually avoided. Yet, given the OK, political leaders in Japan began directly attacking what they considered the liberal press. The focus of their grievances was the Asahi Shinbun over their coverage of Japan's actions during World War especially in the areas of comfort women and forced labour.
At the Japan Times, following the papers sale its editorial policy on these issues was changed and terms comfort women and forced labour were dropped.
At the Japan Times, following the papers sale its editorial policy on these issues was changed and terms comfort women and forced labour were dropped.
Early in December, dozens of journalists and editors from the Japan Times gathered for an emergency meeting in a glass-walled conference room in their brand-new 14th floor office.
On the agenda was a single, incendiary issue: the newspaper's new descriptions of how Japan compelled thousands of foreigners into military brothels and labour during World War Two.
In the past, the Japan Times described Korean workers as "forced laborers" and comfort women as those "forced to provide sex for Japanese troops before and during World War II."
But the five-sentence note published on Nov 30 said the country's oldest English-language paper would refer to Korean workers simply as "wartime laborers."
The paper also said that because of the varied experiences of comfort women, it would describe them as "women who worked in wartime brothels, including those who did so against their will."
Such terms are social flashpoints in Japan and a topic of bitter dispute with South Korea, whose government argues comfort women were clear victims of wartime abuse.
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