Photo/Illutration The September 18th Historical Museum near the site of the Liutiaogou Incident, which triggered the Mukden Incident and occupation of then-Manchuria by the Imperial Japanese Army (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

For Asahi Shimbun reporters, including myself, Sept. 18 is an important date of special historical significance—not only on one occasion but two—that continues to teach us much about our profession.

The Asahi has discussed this date repeatedly, but I would like to go over it once again.

The first occasion was the Mukden Incident.

On Sept. 18, 1931, the Kwantung Army of the Imperial Japanese Army went rogue and engineered the so-called Liutiaogou Incident in the city of Mukden (Shenyang today) in Manchuria, which led to the Mukden Incident.

Until then, the Asahi’s editorial board was harshly critical of the military, vowing “not to allow the military leaders to force their will on the nation.”

But the incident changed the paper’s stance.

Its corporate history book and reviews of past articles reveal that the Asahi came under overt pressure from the military and rightist organizations, and suffered a major financial hardship due to a boycott by veterans’ associations.

There are records of some reporters who resisted, but the editorial board started leaning pro-military, until it went all the way to fanning the war effort. 

Another historical turning point came on Sept. 18, 1945, shortly after Japan’s defeat in World War II.

Exactly 80 years ago, the Asahi was ordered by the General Headquarters of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers to suspend publication.

For the next two days, no Tokyo edition paper came out.

The GHQ had taken issue with Asahi reports that quoted high-profile people as condemning the U.S. atomic bombings as war crimes.

What is journalism? What really matters about a journalist’s stance is not something superficial as whether they are right- or left-leaning, but how much “distance” they maintain from the administration of the time and how truly committed they are to remain free from pressure and various “ties,” so that they can always say what must be said.

As I mentally digest the stark reality of surrendering to the military and try to imagine the humiliation of giving into U.S. censorship, I bow my head, as an Asahi reporter, in remembrance of that dark period in the paper’s history.

—The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 18

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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