PM Allows Foreign Journalists to Attend Press Conferences

　
Osamu Sakashita, Japan’s deputy cabinet secretary for public relations, made the announcement – in his usual understated way – to a few foreign journalists after his weekly briefing. There had been discussions in regard to the opening up of the prime minister’s press conferences to all foreign journalists. He stated that they would notify everyone about the outcome of the discussions but that there might be restrictions on attendance due to limited space in the press hall.

Sakashita made it sound as if the event of opening up press conferences was still some time away, so it came as some surprise when notices on the FPIJ forum started flying around at the end of March stating that, indeed, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s press conference to be held in a few days would be open to Japanese journalists outside the PM’s kisha club and also to foreign journalists. Not only would they be able to attend, they would also be able to ask questions. Fifteen places would be reserved for foreign press with English translation supplied. I applied for my first Hatoyama press conference in the Kantei by e-mail and just four hours before the event, I received a notice from Sakashita’s office saying: “Dear correspondent, you have won a seat in today’s press conference as a result of a ballot.” There was also a notice telling me: “You are expected to observe relevant procedure and appropriate ethical standards and rules.”

We were told to arrive half an hour early on account of security, but the security procedures at the gate of the Kantei were extraordinarily smooth that day. There was no waiting and no queue. When I entered the press hall, the seats on both the left and the right sides were taken, but the seats in the center remained empty. I noticed that the seats in the center were reserved with name tags for specific news organizations, which were obviously the members of the Kantei kisha club. Fifteen seats for foreign reporters were reserved in the two back rows of the conference hall, identified by their attendant earpieces for simultaneous translation.

Sakashita greeted the foreign journalists and after we thanked him for opening up the press conference, he replied very humbly that “you should thank someone else,” before correcting himself to state, “you should thank someone else, as well.” Fifteen minutes before the start of the press conference, only six foreign journalists had taken their seats, although, according to Sakashita, 15 were indeed registered for the event. “I told everyone to come early,” he said with a sigh.

In the meantime, officials with big note pads were moving through the rows of Japanese journalists who were newcomers and who were seated down the sides of the hall. They took down the names and affiliations of the Japanese reporters who were allowed to attend and to ask questions for the first time. They drafted a seat plan of names of organizations. No one asked us for our names or organizations, so I presumed Mr. Sakashita had informed the MC about who the foreigners were and who they worked for.

There was excitement in the press hall. The Japanese journalists on the left side did not move from their places and eagerly anticipated the moment. Shortly before the start of the press conference, the members of the kisha club marched in, carrying their laptops and with a stern look on their faces, before taking their seats in the center of the room. Unfortunately, the rest of the foreign press failed to show up. The only empty seats left for the big event were the ones reserved for foreigners. It was, quite frankly, not an impressive performance after all the fuss that had been made about the opening.

Japanese newcomers were allowed to ask several questions. They were called upon by name and organization, according to a seating chart. One Japanese reporter took the opportunity to thank Hatoyama “on behalf of all the people who have been fighting for the last 65 years for the public right to information and on behalf of journalists around the world.” Hatoyama hinted at to some disagreement in the Cabinet about the matter when he answered by saying that “maybe I should not put it so bluntly,” but “it would be better to replace the old system of giving information to a certain group of journalist by more frequent press conferences that are open to more journalists.” He also promised he would hold press conferences as frequently as possible. When asked why some ministries still had not opened up their press conferences, Hatoyama replied that each ministry had their own reasons, and made it clear that he was trying to set an example. FPIJ members should support these moves and show up in greater force when the opportunity arises in the future. ❶