Ruling On NHK Program (Censored By Current PM Shinzo Abe)

The program in question was shown in January 2001. It dealt with the Women's International War Crimes Tribunal, a mock trial on the "comfort women" issue staged by VAWW-NET Japan. Just before the program was aired, however, NHK deleted parts that contained testimony by a former Japanese soldier and commentaries on the verdict. VAWW-NET Japan sued NHK, its affiliate NHK Enterprise 21, and the latter's subcontractor production company called Documentary Japan, claiming that the final product was a far cry from what NHK had initially outlined. The Tokyo District Court ruled in March 2004 that only Documentary Japan was responsible for the alteration. The production company was ordered to pay 1 million yen in compensation. Once the case reached the high court, the main focus was on the relationship between NHK and politicians. The shift owed to whistle-blowing by an NHK program director, who maintained that the program was altered after senior NHK officials met with Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers and others. Editorial freedom and freedom of the press are fundamental in a democratic society. To prevent over-stretching of interview subjects' expectant right, the media must become independent from authority. --The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 30(IHT/Asahi: January 31,2007) Source: http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200701310119.html See also: http://www.japanmediareview.com/japan/stories/060916kambayashi/

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