THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
2010/04/10
True to its pledge to enhance public disclosure of information, the Democratic Party of Japan government is increasingly opening its news conferences to such "new media" as online and freelance journalists.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama declared at a news conference on March 26, open for the first time to freelancers and online media, that he would encourage other ministers to do the same.
Meanwhile, a government survey released the same day showed that a majority of Cabinet ministers already have opened their regular news conferences to new media.
But critics point out that while news might travel via more outlets these days, it doesn't necessarily mean that the government is actually more transparent. The change could merely be a publicity stunt designed to set this government apart from past administrations under the Liberal Democratic Party.
"I want to tell all Cabinet ministers that 'I have opened up,'" Hatoyama told an Internet broadcaster at the March 26 conference, who asked if his administration hoped to set the standard for government news conference accessibility.
According to a Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications study, 12 out of 18 Cabinet ministers have, in principle, opened their conferences to freelance journalists, online reporters registered with the Internet News Association of Japan, and other types of media.
The survey ranked ministries on a scale of A to D, based on degree of openness. Ministries ranked A allow in freelancers, online media registered with the Internet news association and agencies recognized by the Foreign Press in Japan (FPIJ). They also place no restrictions on questions asked.
Such A-ranked ministers included Hatoyama, Justice Minister Keiko Chiba, agriculture minister Hirotaka Akamatsu, and minister in charge of consumer affairs Mizuho Fukushima.
The survey was ordered by internal affairs minister Kazuhiro Haraguchi, who also received an A, following a pledge made in February.
However, the news conferences of district public prosecutors offices, which fall under the Justice Ministry, were ranked D. Such events are still limited to representatives of traditional media groups that belong to established kisha clubs, which are exclusive organizations for reporters that cover government organizations.
The Imperial Household Agency is also ranked D.
The Financial Services Agency ranked B because it allows in freelance reporters, online media and FPIJ members--but only as observers. The Defense Ministry ranked C for allowing only reporters from organizations registered with the Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association or the National Association of Commercial Broadcasters in Japan and FPIJ.
Since its inception as a party, the DPJ has trumpeted its support for broader information disclosure.
DPJ has allowed anyone who presents a relevant business card upon entry to participate in its secretary- general's news conference since 2002.
"Japan must become a more open society. I have said this ever since I was the LDP secretary-general--that I will talk with anyone," DPJ secretary-general Ichiro Ozawa told reporters at his news conference in March 2009.
Indeed, the wily politician has even fielded questions from weekly magazines often criticized as fanning sensationalism.
Some government ministers have gone a step further and are holding separate "open" events from the restricted ones organized by kisha clubs.
One is Yukio Edano, minister in charge of government revitalization, who also ranked A in the internal affairs ministry study. Environment Minister Sakihito Ozawa followed suit starting Tuesday.
But while the trend makes sense for a government that promised to sweep away the traditional secretiveness of LDP administrations, in reality the ruling party's policymaking process is no more open.
The fuss over the compiling of the DPJ's draft postal system reform plan--with Cabinet members bitterly complaining about who said what--showed that the party's approach is not always transparent despite its lofty ideals.
Critics dismiss the recent moves as an attempt to simply seem more accessible.
Still, the atmosphere at news conferences has certainly changed.
At one held by Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada on March 12, a reporter from the video website Nico Nico Douga posed a query sent in from a netizen: Had Okada heard from the public over revelations that Japan and the United States had a 1970s-era secret deal that allowed ships and aircraft carrying nuclear weapons to pay port calls or pass through Japanese territory without prior consultation?
Okada replied he had not received many calls, but he'd heard that the ministry had received several complaints.
Within seconds, an Internet viewer following the live online news conference had posted this comment: "He (Okada) actually answered that question truthfully."
Okada's experience shows that news travels fast. News conferences are also now longer because of the added attendees. Justice Ministry conferences used to run an average 10 to 15 minutes before the change in government last fall.
These days, Justice Minister Chiba's news conferences have been known to run over 30 minutes on some days.
A journalist who supports more open news access said the next big question is what the new media can glean from their newfound access to the government.
"The ball is in our court now," said video journalist Tetsuo Jimbo. "Unless we ask meaningful questions and report the outcome, we will not be able to meet the needs of our diverse audience."
Posts
