Editorial: Sanseito's act of kicking reporter out of Japan press conference unacceptable

The Mainichi

3 days ago

A reporter from the Kanagawa Shimbun newspaper was expelled from a regular press conference held by the right-wing populist party Sanseito in the Diet building following the House of Councillors election. This raises doubts about whether the party understands the public's right to know.
Initially, party staff on-site cited the lack of preregistration as the reason for the expulsion. Two days later, however, the party changed its explanation, claiming that the reporter's coverage during the upper house election was "obstructive behavior" and stated, "We judged there might be a risk of confusion."
The reporter had written numerous articles critical of a Sanseito candidate during the campaign period. The journalist pointed out that the candidate's claim that "foreigners are given preferential treatment" was false, and reported that the candidate called people who gathered to protest at a street speech "unpatriotic."
Sanseito insists that it had "no intention of excluding specific reporters or media outlets," but their action can only be perceived as an attempt to shut out journalists unfavorable to them, making their explanation unpersuasive.
It is the role of media organizations to verify the truthfulness of statements made by individuals aiming to become lawmakers and to highlight remarks that could promote discrimination.
It is only natural that the Kanagawa Shimbun protested the party's action, stating that it "disregards the right of the Japanese public and citizens to know, and is utterly unacceptable."
Sanseito argues that by distributing all press conference content via video, it is respecting the public's right to know.
However, press conferences are occasions where reporters ask questions to clarify facts and viewpoints from the subjects. Although the Kanagawa Shimbun reporter was allowed to attend a press conference on Aug. 1, there was no apology from the party for undermining readers' right to know.
This incident reveals Sanseito's attitude of disregarding the autonomy of media organizations.
While claiming to respect freedom of the press, the basis of this, "freedom of expression," is not clearly stated in the party's constitutional amendment proposal. Instead, it states, "Media organizations have an obligation to report on national policies in a fair manner without bias." If the government determines what is "fair," it could lead to control of the media.
The guarantee of freedom of the press and the right to know are fundamental to the functioning of democracy. Arbitrarily selecting media outlets that can attend press conferences is behavior that must never be tolerated.