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 (Tokyo correspondent Jiyoung Shin); 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

INDEX

 

The Number 1 Shimbun

July 2025

 

Publisher FCCJ

Editor  Justin McCurry

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.