July 2025

From the Editor

Justin McCurry

In late May, the FCCJ honored journalists and media organizations in Japan and other parts of Asia in its annual Freedom of the Press Awards. The event was a reminder that censorship, legal threats, imprisonment and, yes, the murder of journalists, have worsened across the region in recent years – all the more reason to highlight the work of those who refuse to give in to intimidation, whatever its source. You can read about the winners, selected by the Freedom of the Press Committee and approved by the FCCJ Board of Directors, in this month’s cover story. As we approach the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, this issue has a historic bent, with Mark Schreiber and Eiichiro Tokumoto both delving into events and personalities connected to the war in the Pacific and beyond. In their regular columns, Philip Brasor wonders how Japan’s penal system will respond to a legal revisions that require it to prioritize rehabilitation over punishment, while Eric Johnston explains the issues occupying the minds of Hokkaido voters ahead of upper house elections later this month. In the first installment of Ripping Yarns, in which FCCJ journalists reminisce about a memorable assignment, Anthony Rowley recounts the time he was sent, as a young reporter, to the war-torn jungles of Borneo. Also in this issue: the latest Ask an Associate interview; an update on the fight for justice for a Sri Lankan woman who died in custody at a Nagoya immigration facility; an extract from Monzurul Huq’s new book about his part in Bangladesh’s war of liberation; and Robert Whiting’s tribute to Japanese baseball great Shigeo Nagashima, who has died aged 89.

Cover design: clockwise from top center: Irene Khan, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for freedom of expression and opinion; Asia Award winner: Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, South Korea (Jiyoung Shin, Tokyo correspondent); Japan Award Winner: Shimbun Akahata (Yoji Kogiso, Editor); Lifetime Achievement Award Winner: Jiro Ishimaru, Asia Press International; Japan Award Honorable Mention: Hiroshima Peace Media Center (Yumi Kanazaki, Executive Director of the Center); Asia Award Honorable Mention: In-Depth Solomons (Ofani Eremae, Editor) - Cover artwork by Julio Shiiki