Among things that explain this renewed interest and presence, China’s economic and social boom, North Korea’s nuclear developments, or the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

There are now a total of 53 Japanese media correspondents in China – without counting Taiwan and Honk Kong. They were only 31 in 2001.

In Beijing alone, 38 correspondents from Japanese media now occupy the general bureau. The Mainichi and Sankei have both opened branches in Shanghai – after Mainichi closed its Honk Kong branch.

In contrast, Japanese companies have cut by half the average correspondents present in Moscow – from about three to only one or two.  This withdrawal also affects western Europe, as Nikkei pulled out of Zurich, or with Jiji Press and the Hokkaido Shimbun leaving Vienna.

Despite significant improvements in Chinese government-press relations since the 1990s, foreign journalists still encounter number of restrictions in their work, whether when questioning public official or for permissions to report outside of their designated city. “We have to take into account the likelihood that it will take time to complete procedures for official approval of our newsgathering activities,” a Yomiuri newspaper official said.

The rest of the international press will, eventually, have to follow suit with Japanese media – the latter rightly anticipated that China stands as the key regional hotspot in the near future.


Source: Pressnet from The Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association