
From the Editor
Justin McCurry
Late last year my employer, Guardian News & Media, decided to close its official accounts on X, citing concerns over the “often disturbing content promoted or found on the platform, including far-right conspiracy theories and racism” under the stewardship of Elon Musk. I decided to keep my personal account, although I visit the site a lot less often than I once did, and find myself sifting through large volumes of bilge to get to the subjects that interest me: Japan and UK news and politics, football, cricket, cycling, comedy and, yes, occasional videos of dogs on skateboards. In this month’s cover story, David McNeill speaks to foreign correspondents about their social media use in the age of Musk and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. Elsewhere, Bob Whiting and Jake Adelstein remember Tsuneo Watanabe, the media titan who died in December, while Raphael Rashid recalls frightening encounters with supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol while covering the country’s political crisis. In their regular columns, Eric Johnston examines what Trump Mark II might mean for Hokkaido, and Philip Brasor dissects a new Tokyo metropolitan government campaign to raise the birth rate. In their debut articles for the Number 1 Shimbun, Takuya Nishimura introduces the delights of the club’s very own Masukomi Sushi Bar, while Gary Bremermann reports on a hugely successful Hacks & Flacks shinnenkai. Mark Schreiber laments the demise of the Yukan Fuji evening tabloid, and we’re delighted to be able to run an extract from Elizabeth Shim’s new book, North Korea’s Nuclear Cinema: Simulation and Neoliberal Politics in the Two Koreas.
Cover artwork by Julio Shiiki - Images: Facebook, Wikipedia.
The Number 1 Shimbun
February 2025
Publisher FCCJ
Editor Justin McCurry, no.1shimbun@fccj.or.jp
Designer Julio Kohji Shiiki, www.sedo.co.jp
Website Paul Braganza
Editorial Assistant Naomichi Iwamura
Photo coordination Hiroko Moriwaki
Publications Committee
Justin McCurry (Chair), Suvendrini Kakuchi, David McNeill, Andy Sharp
FCCJ Board of Directors
President Dan Sloan
1st Vice President Khaldon Azhari
2nd Vice President Randy Schmidt
Treasurer Anthony Rowley
Secretary David M. Umeda
Directors-at-Large
Shuri Fukunaga, Suvendrini Kakuchi, Dave McCombs, Taeko Nagayama
Kanji Martin Fackler, Knopf Doubleday Publishing & Simon Farrell, Custom Media K.K.
FCCJ Committee & Ad-hoc Committee Chairs
Publications Justin McCurry
Associate Members’ Liaison Simon Farrell & David Umeda
Entertainment Jake Adelstein & Simon Farrell
Exhibitions Peter Lyon
Film Karen Severns
Finance Anthony Rowley
Food & Beverage Shuri Fukunaga & Michiyo Nakamoto
Freedom of Press David McNeill
House & Property Khaldon Azhari
Human Resources Randy Schmidt
Information Technology Hinza Asif & Yusuke Wada
Library, Archives & Workroom Suvendrini Kakuchi & Robert Whiting
Membership Randy Schmidt
Professional Activities Tetsuo Jimbo & Martin Koelling
DeRoy Memorial Scholarship Martin Fackler
Compliance Kunio Hamada & Yoshisuke Iinuma
Election Yoshisuke Iinuma
Deep Dive Anthony Rowley
Membership Marketing Gary Bremermann
Sports Akihiko Tanabe
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan
Marunouchi Nijubashi Building 5F
Marunouchi 3-2-3 Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 100-0005
Tel: (03) 3211-3161・fccj.or.jp
Published by the FCCJ All opinions contained within the Number 1 Shimbun are those of the authors. As such, these opinions do not constitute an official position of Number 1 Shimbun, the editor or the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan.