Media workshop

"The last empire of the press", a surprising sociology of journalism in Japan

Audio 49:09

Employees of the "Yomiuri Shimbun" prepare to distribute a special edition of their newspaper in Tokyo devoted to Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. © REUTERS / Kim Kyung-Hoon

By: Steven Jambot Follow |

Simon Decreuze Follow

2 mins

The French sociologist César Castellvi has made the Japanese press his subject of study.

In a book, he recounts the functioning of Japanese newspapers, the organization of the work of Japanese journalists and the current challenges of these giants of printed paper in the land of the rising sun. 

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receives

, doctor in sociology, lecturer in Japanese studies at the University of Paris and associate researcher at the Center for Research on Japan (CRJ).

In January 2022, he published 

 (CNRS editions), the culmination of his thesis and research work carried out over the past decade.

In an interview lasting about forty minutes, it is a question of the

still achieved by certain Japanese dailies such as the

and the

, 8 and 6 million copies each day. 

César Castellvi explains the operation of the 記者クラブ – kisha kurabu,

 that bring together journalists in most institutions in the country.

These clubs are the subject of a number of fairly strong criticisms.

In Japan, there is

that specifically represents journalists.

.

Journalists also often graduate from major universities and begin learning the trade by covering

in the regional press.

In fact, this profession suffers from a

due in particular to the working conditions and the requirement.

Their

remains solid: the principle of

is crumbling but two-thirds of Japanese households still subscribe to a daily;

advertising represents a

part of the turnover.

Japanese newspapers are not making an

accelerated

Proof of this is: in 2022, the

, the world's leading daily, still does not offer a pure digital subscription. 

For their online information consumption, the Japanese use a lot of portals like

messaging application

. 

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