Kishii, Tahara, Torigoe, Otani & Aoki: “Japan's Journalists Speak Out.” Screencap from FCCJ YouTube Channel.

A group of Japanese broadcasters is speaking out about what they say is efforts by the government to restrict press freedoms in Japan.

On Thursday, March 24th, five prominent Japanese television broadcasters, Kishii Shigetada (News 23, TBS), Tahara Sochiro Tahara (TV Asahi's Sunday Project), Torigoe Shuntaro (a veteran broadcaster and cancer survivor), Kanehira Shigenori (TBS), Otani Akihiro (a freelance televison journalist) and Aoki Osamu (a journalist and television commentator) participated in a press conference and panel discussion at the Foreign Correspondent's Club of Japan (FCCJ) in Tokyo.

The press conference, with English-language captions, can be viewed here.

Their concern was triggered by an announcement in February in Japan's parliament by Japan's minister Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Takaichi Sanae that the government can order broadcasters to suspend operations if they air TV programming that is deemed politically biased.

Japanese journalists allege government pressure on media @AP https://t.co/5GRmLQQw7X

— Mari Yamaguchi｜山口真理 (@mariyamaguchi) March 24, 2016

According to David McNeill, a journalist who covers Japan on behalf of the Irish Times, Independent and The Economist, Takaichi's comments triggered fears about “what appears to be a sustained government attack on the country's remaining critical media”.

The foreign press in Japan, including the FCCJ, has long provided a public forum to facilitate discussion of Japan's media landscape.

For example, one Japanese Twitter user re-Tweeted a cartoon by David Simonds that appeared in the Economist and that has been widely shared on social media:

今の安倍政治を物語ってるね！
良い風刺画だ！#アベ政治を許さない#電波停止発言#反自民#戦争法廃止 pic.twitter.com/A1DiGRQJhe

— 国民連合政府支持@アベ政治を許さない (@yokohamarengouk) February 15, 2016

This really tells the story of the Abe government, doesn't it?

In the cartoon, Japanese Prime Minister Abe appears to be sitting enthroned on the backs of the media.

The March 24th FCCJ press conference addressed Minister Takaichi's remarks amidst perceptions of declining press freedom in Japan.

The group of five journalists had already been speaking out against the communications minister's remarks.

燃料投下にしか見えませんがな…　#電波停止発言 pic.twitter.com/1B6mv2ZG5S

— 魚の目 (@do9ringo90) February 29, 2016

[Banner reads] “I AM ANGRY! Minister Takaichi's remarks about shutting down broadcasters is against the spirit of the Japanese Constitution and Japan's broadcasting laws.”

Just adding fuel to the fire, I think…

For the last several years there have been rumors that the Abe government is pressuring Japan's national broadcasters to mute criticism and remove outspoken television personalities.

After veteran Mainichi News journalist and TBS commentator Kishii Shigetada criticized the Abe government's controversial security legislation last year, conservatives took out newspaper ads accusing Kishii of violating Japan's broadcast laws. Kishii announced he would step down from his work as a commentator on TBS's News 23 program, but would still continue to comment on government policy.

TV Asahi news anchor and popular Japanese television personality Furutachi Ichiro will also step down in April following rumors of political interference. Furutachi has anchored late-night newscast Hodo Station on Asahi Television for 12 years.

Furutachi, a loquacious and opinionated television commentator who is well-known for his florid, colourful and erudite delivery, is not leaving without a fight.

In a recent segment on his program News Station (報道ステーション, Hodo Station), Furutachi fired a parting cannonball at Minister Takaichi:

報道ステーション、明日も「電波停止」発言の追及お願いします（^人^）#tvasahi #電波停止発言#木村草太#報道ステーション pic.twitter.com/QWRkAcy9fL

— 国民連合政府支持@アベ政治を許さない (@yokohamarengouk) February 15, 2016

I hope News Station lays into Takachi Sanae again tomorrow night!

In fact, in his final month on air Furutachi has compared Abe to Hitler and Japan to the Weimar Republic.

Prime Minister Abe has publicly contemplated unilaterally revising Japan's post-War “peace” Constitution should his government achieve a parliamentary supermajority in elections scheduled for summer 2016.

ワイマール憲法から学ぶ自民党憲法草案緊急事態条項の危うさ! 　報道ステーション　古舘伊知郎　消される前にどうぞ。　https://t.co/2rbhw4PDo4　#フォーラム4 #クロス　#リテラシー　#戦争法案 #SEALDs pic.twitter.com/VAeowxeo27

— seiji82原発は人類最大の環境破壊! (@seiji82nonukes) March 21, 2016

Learn the lessons from the Weimar Republic and understand the danger of revising Japan's Constitution! Here's one last broadside from Furutachi Ichiro before he vanishes from the airwaves.

古舘伊知郎がテレビニュースの歴史に名を刻んだ傑作。→［報道ステーション］ワイマール憲法から学ぶ自民党憲法草案緊急事態条項の危うさ （文字起こし）【全編】 https://t.co/leMmbK34nw @raymiyatake pic.twitter.com/5jpo574SpZ

— 宮武嶺 (@raymiyatake) March 27, 2016

[Video caption, top right] How are dictatorships born? [Bottom] There is no other way forward.

This will go down in history as Furutachi Ichiro's masterpiece!

March 2016 marks a time of change for Japanese television broadcasting. Kuniya Hiroko, a highly regarded broadcaster was also forced out of her long-running show Close-up Gendai this past month.

Sad: Last show of Close-up Gendai, one of too few quality Japanese TV programs, with excellent anchor Hiroko Kuniya pic.twitter.com/pHjhm6rBe2

— SoBlaschke (@SoBlaschke) March 17, 2016

Appearing every evening on national broadcaster NHK, Close-up Gendai was long regarded as one of Japan's best news programs.

With Kuniya gone, NHK has decided to take the show in a different direction.

After pushing aside hard-hitting anchor Hiroko Kuniya @nhk softens “Closeup Gendai.” https://t.co/JPoooSBj9Z #Japan pic.twitter.com/uUYYDIpEBG

— Steven L Herman (@W7VOA) March 25, 2016