Sunday, May 20, 2007

Journalists, be tough !



Nishiyama said...

I saw him and asked him about other financial
arrangement between Japan and USA and he quoted cases
related to introduction of nuclear vessels into
Japanese waters. But the most important part of his
comments was related to the fact that from times to
times Japanese press lie. How tough judgment not
related only to the indigenous press I'd say.

"A newspaper reporter convicted of writing about
government secrets in the Mainichi more than 20 years
ago is telling journalists they must do more to keep
the public informed. Takichi , whose revelations in
1971 that the U.S. and Japan had secret deals
involving the return of Okinawa to Japanese control
led to his arrest, acquittal and then subsequent
conviction, told the Foreign Correspondents Club in
Japan “The bureaucracy has an iron curtain” that they
must penetrate. In his own case, he revealed that
Tokyo agreed to pay America $4 million extra, beyond
costs, to get Okinawa back. The now elderly reporter
is continuing to try clearing his name, but courts
have rebuffed his challenge to the conviction, saying
it’s too late because the 20 year statute of the
limitation to appeal has expired. He is appealing the
latest decision, arguing that documents made public
since 2000 prove he was right."


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