Shūkan Bunshun
Logo for Shūkan Bunshun
CategoriesNews magazine
FrequencyWeekly
Circulation700,000
Founded1959
First issueApril 1959
CompanyBungeishunjū
CountryJapan
Based inTokyo
LanguageJapanese
Websitebunshun.jp

Shūkan Bunshun (週刊文春, Shūkan Bunshun, lit. "Weekly Bunshun") is a Japanese[1][2] weekly tabloid (shūkanshi) based in Tokyo, Japan, known for its investigative journalism and frequent clashes with the Japanese government.[3] This has led to it being considered one of the most influential weekly magazines in the country,[2] but, since "scoops take time, and are expensive and risky", and "there needs to be a constant cycle of stories coming in and earning money",[4] Bunshun also publishes scoops that violate the privacy of celebrities, sometimes based on nothing,[5] setting aside any moral considerations.[6]

History and profile

Shūkan Bunshun was first published in April 1959.[7] The magazine is part of Bungeishunjū, a publishing group headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo.[7] From October 2014 to September 2015 Shūkan Bunshun was the fourth best selling weekly magazine in Japan with a circulation of 680,296 copies.[8] As a general-news magazine, Shūkan Bunshun's major competitor is the more conservative[2][9] Shukan Shincho.[10]

The magazine has been praised, but also criticized for its investigative reporting which takes on both political scandals, as well as those from the world of entertainment,[3] and these kinds of reports are colloquially known as the "Bunshun cannon" (文春砲, Bunshunhō).[11] In the first three months of 2016, "It brought down a minister and a politician, practically destroyed the careers of a popular celebrity and a news commentator and nearly broke up one of Japan's biggest boy bands," reported the BBC[3] which stated that the magazine was "shaking up the cosy media club" in Japan. However, the magazine was also widely criticized for its exposé of Tetsuya Komuro's adultery, with The Japan Times stating that the story was not favorably received and that "Japanese netizens appear to have turned against Shukan Bunshun and other scandal-baiting publications.[12]

Notable reports and controversies

Kazuyoshi Miura

In January 1984, Shūkan Bunshun reported the suspicion that Kazuyoshi Miura, a trading company owner, had someone shoot and kill his wife Kazumi in Los Angeles in November 1981 to obtain a huge insurance payout.[13][14] They also reported the suspicion that Miura murdered his lover, Chizuko Shiraishi, in Los Angeles in 1979 and withdrew a large sum of money from her account.[13] These cases were dubbed "L.A. Scandal".[13][14] Until then, Miura had been treated as a tragic man whose wife was ruthlessly shot in Los Angeles, but overnight he was thrust into a completely opposite position.[13] Following the Shūkan Bunshun articles, tabloid TV shows and numerous weekly magazines reported the scandal extensively day after day, night after night.[13][15] In addition, they also reported extensively on Miura's privacy and his history of juvenile delinquency.[13][15] The frenzy continued for a while, with numerous reporters and photographers surrounding Miura's house throughout the day, and as a result, he and his family fled to London for a time.[13][15] In response, some of the press chased them all the way to London.[13] Subsequently, an actress, a former lover of Miura, confessed that she had attacked his wife at his request in Los Angeles in August 1981.[13] Miura was arrested in September 1985, and after a lengthy trial, the Tokyo District Court sentenced him to life imprisonment.[13][14] However, the Tokyo High Court acquitted him for insufficient evidence, and in 2003, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the prosecution, thus confirming his innocence. (In the case of the actress who attacked his wife, he was convicted.)[13][14][16] Note that after his arrest, he filed lawsuits against more than 400 articles in the press that he considered defamatory.[13] According to Miura's own claim, he won more than 80% of these cases.[13] In February 2008, Miura went to Saipan, where he was arrested by local authorities because his cases were still under investigation in the U.S. territory.[13][14][17] In October 2008, he was extradited to Los Angeles and committed suicide in jail.[13][14][18]

Onyanko Club

In April 1985, Shūkan Bunshun published the photo of six members of the idol group Onyanko Club smoking in a coffee shop. This led to the dismissal of five out of the six members from the group. Since they were considered core members of the group, the scandal changed the form and fate of Onyanko Club.[19][20][21]

Junko Furuta

In 1989, Shūkan Bunshun uncovered and published the identities of the four male teenagers (Hiroshi Miyano, Jō Ogura, Shinji Minato, and Yasushi Watanabe) who abducted, raped, tortured and then subsequently murdered Junko Furuta on the grounds that, given the severity of the crime, the accused did not deserve to have their right to anonymity upheld.[22]

Johnny & Associates

In 2001, Shūkan Bunshun ran a series on sexual harassment allegations[23] against Johnny & Associates founder Johnny Kitagawa, along with claims that Kitagawa had allegedly forced boys to drink alcohol and smoke.[24][25][26] The exposé was particularly notable in that Shūkan Bunshun was the only media outlet willing to publish such allegations, especially since Kitagawa was known to have control over entertainment media.[27] Johnny & Associates sued Shukan Bunshun for defamation, and in 2002, the Tokyo District Court ruled in favor of Kitagawa, awarding him ¥8.8 million in damages.[25][26] In 2003, the fine was lowered to ¥1.2 million on the basis that the drinking and smoking allegations were defamatory, while the sexual harassment claims were not.[26] Kitagawa filed an appeal to the Supreme Court of Japan, but it was rejected in 2004.[28]

Minami Minegishi

On 31 January 2013, Shukan Bunshun reported that then-AKB48 member Minami Minegishi had spent a night at the apartment home of Alan Shirahama, a member of the boy band Generations from Exile Tribe, despite that AKB48 members are not contractually allowed to have romantic relationships.[29] A few hours later, after she was demoted to kenkyūsei (trainee) status on 1 February,[30] AKB48's YouTube channel released a video of Minegishi's apology.[31] In the video, she repeatedly apologized for her "thoughtless behavior" and hoped that the management would let her remain with the group, with her head shaved to show contrition.[29] The punishment and subsequent head-shaving drew negative reactions from international media, including Agence France-Presse,[32] CNN,[33] Daily News,[34] The Guardian,[35] ABC,[36] Spiegel Online,[37] and Al Jazeera English,[38] who criticized AKB48's management and Japan's idol industry over banning idols from having romantic relationships.

Becky

In January 2016, popular female TV tarento, Becky's reputation dived after Shukan Bunshun revealed that she had an affair with musician Enon Kawatani who at the time was married. Following the scandal, Kawatani announced that he had officially divorced his wife. To appease the public backlash and as a condition for her comeback to show business in Japan, Becky tried to officially apologize to Kawatani's wife. However, having no direct channel to her, Becky contacted the Shukan Bunshun's editorial department instead. Shukan Bunshun published the full contents of Becky's letter at the end of April 2016.[39] As a result of her apologies, Becky was able to make a comeback with an appearance on TBS. In her first appearance back on TV, she appeared on Full Chorus – Music is Full Chorus on the cable channel BS Skyperfect TV.[40] As a result of the expose, Becky lost many of her sponsors and other sources of income.[41] According to some commentators, the sharp difference between the consequences of the affair for her compared to those for Enon, highlights Japan's double standards for women in the entertainment world.[42]

Sean K

In March 2016, Sean McArdle Kawakami's career as a Japanese news and business commentator came to an abrupt end after Shukan Bunshun revealed a fabricated academic background that included claims of an MBA from the world-famous Harvard Business School, as well as further false claims to have graduated from Temple University and conducted a Study abroad at Pantheon Sorbonne, University of Paris 1.[43]

Kawai vote-buying in Hiroshima

In 2019, shortly after a report published in Shukan Bunshun, alleging that House of Councillors's representative Anri Kawai's election office had paid campaign announcers a daily amount that exceeded the permitted legal limit, her husband Katsuyuki Kawai announced his resignation as Minister for Justice on 30 October 2019.[44] In the aftermath of the initial article, further revelations followed, that the headquarters of the governing Liberal Democratic Party had transferred an unusually large amount of 150 million yen to the local Hiroshima office, prior to the election.[45]

A list of at least 100 recipients of money, including prefectural and municipal politicians from the Hiroshima prefecture, as well as members of the couple's campaign groups, was found on a computer belonging to Katsuyuki Kawai after a raid on the couple's house and offices.[46] On 16 June 2020, Anri Kawai and her husband, Katsuyuki Kawai, left the Liberal Democratic Party amidst the ongoing allegations of buying votes to aid her campaign for the House of Councilors.[47] They were later arrested by public prosecutors on 19 June 2020 on charges of vote-buying and distributing around 25 million yen to politicians and supporters in Hiroshima[48] in violation of the Public Office Elections Law.[47]

Subsequently, in July 2020, the Hiroshima district and high court ruled that a state-paid secretary to Anri Kawai paid 2.04 million yen in total to 14 members of Kawai's campaign staff between 19 and 23 July 2019 during the election to the House of Councillors, an amount which implied payments higher than the legal limit of 15,000 yen per person per day. As a result, the secretary received a punishment of 18 months in prison, suspended for 5 years.[49] In the wake of the conviction, the Hiroshima High Public Prosecutors Office filed a lawsuit to cancel Anri Kawai's 2019 election victory, on the basis of guilt by association as defined under the Japanese Public Offices Election Law.[50] On 20 January 2021, the Tokyo District Court sentenced Anri Kawai to a year and four months in prison, suspended for five years. The court ruled that her distribution of money to local legislators in Hiroshima was in violation of the Public Offices Election Law. In the indictment, one member of the Etajima Municipal Assembly and four members of the Prefectural Assembly admitted receiving cash payments of ¥1.7 million in total. The local politicians stated that they believed Anri Kawai and her husband passed them the money to secure support for Anri Kawai in the Upper House election of 2019.[51]

References

  1. ↑ J. A. Mangan; Sandra Collins; Gwang Ok (2018). The Triple Asian Olympics—Asia Rising: The Pursuit of National Identity, International Recognition and Global Esteem. Routledge. pp. 2309–2322. ISBN 9781135714192.
  2. 1 2 3 Adam Gamble; Takesato Watanabe (1 July 2004). A Public Betrayed: An Inside Look at Japanese Media Atrocities and Their Warnings to the West. Regnery Pub. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-89526-046-8.
  3. 1 2 3 "The Japanese magazine shaking up the cosy media club". BBC News. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  4. ↑ "The Keeping the "Bunshun" Cannons Firing: The Japanese Weekly Outscooping the Traditional Media". Nippon.com. 31 August 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  5. ↑ "Yuzuru Hanyu: ``I'm surprised that the article is based on terrible 'delusions,' 'imaginations,' and 'lies. Commenting on some reports". Hochi. 26 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  6. ↑ "How Bunshun, editor-in-chief of ``still a flip phone, paved the way to becoming ``Japan's largest news site". PRESIDENT Online. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  7. 1 2 Mark Schreiber (20 February 2016). "Deja vu as Shukan Shincho turns back the clock". The Japan Times. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  8. ↑ "10 Most Printed Magazines in Japan, 2015". Hatena Blog. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  9. ↑ Mark Schreiber (21 October 2017). "Magazines hold their own against TV's 'iron chefs'". Japan Times. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  10. ↑ "Tabloid magazine Shukan Shincho alleges rival 'stole' scoop from upcoming ad". Mainichi. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  11. ↑ "Keeping the "Bunshun" Cannons Firing: The Japanese Weekly Outscooping the Traditional Media". nippon.com. 31 August 2020.
  12. ↑ "Shukan Bunshun shoots itself in the foot with Komuro scandal". Japan Times. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "空前の劇場型事件「ロス疑惑」から40年 ロス郡検がひそかに準備した終章" [It has been 40 years since the " L.A. Scandal", an unprecedented theatrical case. The final chapter secretly arranged by the L.A. County District Attorney's office.] (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Asahi Shimbun. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "ロス疑惑". 知恵蔵 (in Japanese). Asahi shimbun. 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  15. 1 2 3 "「マスコミ不信」の背景" [Background of "distrust toward the mass media"] (in Japanese). Hiroshima City University. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  16. ↑ "Miura case came to define sensationalism". Japan Times. 1 April 2003. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  17. ↑ Cone, Marla (23 February 2008). "Man again held in his wife's 1981 killing in L.A." Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  18. ↑ "Coroner: Miura death was suicide". The Japan Times. 5 December 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  19. ↑ Ashcraft, Brian (20 April 2010). Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential: How Teenage Girls Made a Nation Cool. Tokyo, Japan: Kodansha International. p. 42－43. ISBN 978-4770031150.
  20. ↑ Fujiki, TDC (16 February 1997). 芸能界スキャンダル読本 [The Reading Book On Entertainment Industry Scandals] (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Takarajimasha. p. 83－85. ISBN 4-7966-9299-1.
  21. ↑ "おニャン子クラブ黒歴史 未成年喫煙写真流出で欠番となったメンバーたち" [The Dark History of Onyanko Club: the members who were treated as missing numbers due to underage smoking photo leak]. Livedoor (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  22. ↑ "Japanese Horror Story: The Torture of Junko Furuta". 22 February 2013. Archived from the original on 22 February 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  23. ↑ Calvin Sims (30 January 2000). "In Japan, Tarnishing a Star Maker". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  24. ↑ Justin McCurry (23 April 2000). "Japan's star-maker accused of sexually abusing boys". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  25. 1 2 Chris Campion (21 August 2005). "J-Pop's dream factory". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
  26. 1 2 3 Natsuko Fukue (14 April 2009). "So, you wanna be a Johnny?". The Japan Times. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  27. ↑ Schilling, Mark (18 July 2019). "Johnny Kitagawa: Power, Abuse, and the Japanese Media Omerta". Variety. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  28. ↑ Secrets, Sex, and Spectacle: The Rules of Scandal in Japan and the United States. University of Chicago Press. 15 January 2007. p. 210. ISBN 978-0-226-89408-9. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  29. 1 2 "AKB48 pop star shaves head after breaking band rules". BBC News. February 2013.
  30. ↑ "Minegishi Minami demoted to Kenkyuusei + posts a video message with shaved head". Tokyohive. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  31. ↑ "Mixed views of AKB member's shaved head and teary apology". Asahi Shinbun. 2 February 2013. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
  32. ↑ "Japanese pop idol shaves her head in public apology after sex scandal". The Globe and Mail. Agence France-Presse. February 2013.
  33. ↑ Peter Shadbolt (5 February 2013). "When a teen pop star breaks J-pop 'bushido' code". CNN.
  34. ↑ "Japanese pop star shaves her head in shame and begs for forgiveness after spending night with boyfriend". Daily News. 1 February 2013.
  35. ↑ Justin McCurry (1 February 2013). "Japanese pop star shaves head in apology – for night with boyfriend". The Guardian.
  36. ↑ Akiko Fujita (1 February 2013). "Pop Star Shaves Head in Remorse for Dating". ABC.
  37. ↑ Heike Sonnberger (7 February 2013). "Mädchenband AKB48 in Japan: Sängerin rasiert sich aus Reue den Kopf". Spiegel Online (in German).
  38. ↑ "Japanese singer shaves head after sex scandal". Al Jazeera English. 2 February 2013.
  39. ↑ "End of a saga: Becky to return to showbiz; Kawatani divorces wife following scandal". Japan Today. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  40. ↑ "Talent Becky officially returns to Japanese TV after affair controversy". Japan Today. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  41. ↑ "Becky loses sponsors, regular TV appearances over affair scandal". Japan Today. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  42. ↑ "Downfall of Japanese TV's girl next door highlights wider industry sexism". Guardian. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  43. ↑ Oi, Mariko (21 April 2016). "The Japanese magazine shaking up the cosy media club". BBC News Online. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  44. ↑ "Japan's justice minister to quit over wife's alleged election law breach". Kyodo News. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  45. ↑ "LDP transferred 150 million yen to candidate now hit by scandal". Asahi Shimbun. 24 January 2020. Archived from the original on 25 December 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  46. ↑ "Japan ex-justice minister, wife may have handed $280k to over 100 people in vote buying". Mainichi Daily News. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  47. 1 2 "Ex-justice minister, wife plan to leave LDP over election scandal". Kyodo News.
  48. ↑ Satoshi Sugiyama (18 June 2020). "Former top Abe aide and wife arrested in vote-buying scandal". The Japan Times. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  49. ↑ "Japan lawmaker closer to losing seat over election law violation". The Mainichi. 2 July 2020. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  50. ↑ Shunsuke Abe (2 July 2020). "Aide's conviction will likely lead to loss of Anri's seat in Upper House". The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  51. ↑ "Japan lawmaker Anri Kawai guilty of vote-buying in 2019 election". Nikkei Asia. 21 January 2021. Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
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