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RCAPS Seminar: Ms Michiru MEKATA (President: YZ Co., Ltd., Writer: Japan Times & Asahi Shimbun)
On January 11, 2013, Ms Michiru MEKATA (President: YZ Co., Ltd., Writer: Japan Times and Asahi Shimbun) was invited to present an RCAPS Seminar entitled "Japanese Newspapers: Expression Differences in Japanese and English."
In the seminar, Ms Mekata first explained the differences in structures of newspaper articles between Japan and the West. Japanese newspapers basically follow the logical process of introduction, development, turn or twist, and conclusion, a structure referred to as “kishotenketsu”. On the other hand, in Western newspapers, important contents come first; Also, important things will be stated at the end of an article. Giving an example in which the Japanese word "sumimasen" (sorry) sometimes means "thank you" depending on the context, Ms Mekata explained that the Japanese prefer vague and indirect expressions.
In addition to explaining the characteristics of each newspaper and differences between magazines and newspapers in Japan, Ms Mekata explained that after the collapse of the Japanese bubble economy in the 1990s, the tone of newspapers tended to be negative, and that affected people’s minds. She also mentioned that there are differences in how to conduct an interview between the medias in Japan and in the West. Japanese reporters’ questions are generally modest, and they interview by making sure of what they already know before the interview. In contrast, western journalists first let the interviewee relax by praising the interviewee, and then the interviewer starts to ask questions, which are directly to the point and sometimes even mean.
Ms Mekata also mentioned some shocking realities in Japanese media. There are situations in which the truth can not always be reported faithfully. She gave examples of a broadcasting station which was influenced in its choice of “expert” to give advice on air by a company which give it monetary support, and an award-winning journalist who brought to light true problems, but was then relegated to a corner in a newspaper company.
The seminar was held in the style of a question-and-answer session, and was a very valuable opportunity for students and the faculty members who are interested in journalism, since they were able to hear the stories directly from Ms Mekata, who has extensive experience in the field of journalism.
This seminar was made possible through the invitation of APM Professor Susumu Yamamoto.
Video(WMV)
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