Event Marks 1st Anniversary of Japan Female Journalists’ Group

Tokyo, Nov. 22 (Jiji Press)–An event was held in Tokyo on Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the establishment of a group of female journalists in Japan. The Japan Women Journalists Association aims to support the career development of female reporters in Japan and add various viewpoints to the value judgment of news. “Men, who make up the majority in the media industry, are responsible for making decisions about the news that is delivered each day,” Risa Akiyama, head of the JWJA and executive of Kanagawa Shimbun, a daily published mainly in Kanagawa Prefecture, eastern Japan, said at the event. “As society becomes more diverse, responding to the needs of a wide range of readers will help develop the industry,” she added. The JWJA, established in November last year following exchanges with the Korea Women’s Journalists Association of South Korea, is made up of female reporters working for media organizations that belong to the Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association and the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association. The JWJA plans to offer training programs to develop human resources capable of assuming managerial posts and becoming corporate leaders. It currently has about 60 regular member reporters. At Saturday’s event, a panel discussion on media diversity was held, bringing together about 120 participants, including Shiro Nakamura, head of the Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association and chairman of major Japanese newspaper publisher Asahi Shimbun Co., and Ha Im-sook, head of the KWJA. The results of an online survey conducted in August-September for some 270 female journalists working for newspaper publishers and broadcasters were also reported at the event. Of the respondents, 45.8 pct said that male reporters have more chances for promotion than women, against only 1.4 pct, who said female reporters have more chances. A respondent said in the survey, “Even if I get a story, I’m told ‘you could get it because you are a woman,'” and my efforts are not appreciated.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]