From the Editor
Justin McCurry
The recent dismissal of more than 300 staff at the Washington Post generated shockwaves that were felt far beyond the paper’s newsrooms and bureaus. Jeff Bezos, the billionaire behind the gutting of one of the world’s best-known newspapers, attempted to justify his move by citing significant financial losses. But as David McNeill’s cover story argues, the culling of the Post’s workforce is about politics, not money. Elsewhere in this issue, Peter Langan explains how the recent imprisonment of Jimmy Lai was the culmination of a concerted campaign against his Apple Daily by Beijing, while Jeffrey L. Hall wonders why Japan’s media has said so little about links between Jeffrey Epstein and the tech entrepreneur Joi Ito. In the latest installment in our Ripping Yarns series, Jonathan Watts recalls his one-man attempt to bring the sunshine of engagement to North Korea during a 2003 visit to Pyongyang. Mark Schreiber returns to one of his favorite subjects – serious crime – and asks if Aum Supreme Truth’s 1995 gas attack on the Tokyo subway could have been prevented. In a change of pace, Stephen Mansfield takes the courageous step of trying to interpret the Zen-like qualities of the feline psyche. In FCCJ news, Jake Adelstein reviews Rental Family and interviews one of the film’s stars, former club member Mari Yamamoto, while Anthony Rowley gauges the bond market’s reaction to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s spending plans. In their regular columns, Philip Brasor reports on an NHK documentary about the troubled family legacies of the U.S. postwar occupation of Okinawa, and Eric Johnston outlines measures to rein in Hokkaido’s ravenous seals.
Cover artwork by Julio Shiiki
The Number 1 Shimbun
March 2026
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 Randy Schmidt
2nd Vice President Aviraj Gokool
Treasurer Anthony Rowley
Secretary Kathleen Benoza
Directors-at-Large
Michael King, Taeko Nagayama, Michiyo Nakamoto, Masayuki Watanabe
Kanji Martin Fackler, Knopf Doubleday Publishing & Simon Farrell, Custom Media K.K.
Reserve Director
David Umeda
FCCJ Committee & Ad-hoc Committee Chairs
Publications (Number 1 Shimbun) Justin McCurry
Associate Members’ Liaison Simon Farrell & David Umeda
Entertainment Simon Farrell & Douglas Montgomery
Exhibition Peter Lyon
Film Karen Severns
Finance Anthony Rowley
Food & Beverage Shuri Fukunaga & Michiyo Nakamoto
Freedom of Press David McNeill & Ilgin Yorulmaz
House & Property Randy Schmidt
Human Resources Avi Gokool
Library, Archives & Workroom Suvendrini Kakuchi & Robert Whiting
Membership Randy Schmidt & Dan Sloan
Professional Activities Eric Johnston & Martin Fackler
DeRoy Memorial Scholarship Martin Fackler
Compliance Yoshisuke Iinuma & Masayuki Watanabe
Election (2025-2026) Yoshisuke Iinuma
Deep Dive Anthony Rowley
Information Technology (Web) TBD
Membership Marketing TBD
Sports Akihiko Tanabe
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan
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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.