A
former high level bureaucrat in the Japanese Ministry of Trade was one of the
few public officials to bravely speak up for radical change in the wake of the
earthquake-tsunami-meltdown catastrophe. The
Economist was one of the first in the English language media to report on
Shigeaki Koga’s radical proposals for reform of national energy policy. In
September 2011, The Economist
reported his views:
"I
believe this is the final chance for Japan to change," Mr. Koga said in
May, when I asked him during a wide-ranging interview why he was speaking out.
"If I shut my mouth and obtain a good post in the ministry—even if I did
that, in a few years Japan's economy would plunge," he said. "That is
why I am taking on risks, and I don't care if I have to resign. Because if I
don't speak out, Japan will not change. It is meaningless for me to be in the
government if I cannot advocate reform."
Since
this time he has been shut out of meaningful participation in reform, but he
has been a regular guest commentator on news programs. He has been a regular on
TV Asahi’s evening news program Hodo
Station, but things took a bad turn in January, when, taking inspiration
from the “Je suis Charlie” frenzy, he held up a placard during the broadcast
stating “I’m not Abe.”
At
a
press conference afterwards at the Tokyo Foreign Correspondents Club, Mr.
Koga explained the way he was being excluded from further appearances on Hodo
Station:
(Reporter)
Mr. Koga, just to follow up on this because your case may be very important for
the future of Japan. Could you tell us if you are officially and publicly being
“sacked” from your job?
If
I make any mistake in explaining this, it will bring about many problems. Even
if I am scolded, I will be scolded only by TV Asahi. So it is not as scary as
being scolded by [Chief Cabinet Secretary] Suga. Precisely speaking, there is
no contract that guarantees exactly how many times per year that I will appear
on Hodo Station. From TV Asahi’s
perspective, they ask me to appear on a case-by-case basis. So, it is not that
they are firing me. As far as I have heard, it is the producer who has the
leading role in deciding which commentator appears on the show. As for me, I
have been very busy, so the producer and I used to set a schedule for next
three-month period. Basically, the producer asked me to appear about once a
month, and as for the exact date of appearance, we agreed to decide two or
three months ahead.
I
heard that the head of the press bureau of TV Asahi had not been comfortable
with my appearances since last year. But, after January 23, he ordered a strict
prohibition on my appearances after April 2015.
I
have not heard this from the head in person, so I would like to hear this from
him in person.
This
is how I understand the case. My appearance on March 6th and 27th were already
scheduled. If they had canceled scheduled appearances, there would have been
criticism. But since no appearances by me were scheduled after April, I think
that is the reason why they decided to enact the prohibition in April.
A
reporter at yesterday’s press conference by the president of TV Asahi told me
that nothing has been decided yet about my future appearances. Moreover, the
president maintained that he is not aware of any pressure coming from the Kantei [Prime Minister’s office]. (as
reported by Japanese
Perspective)
On
March 27, 2015, Mr. Koga made what he said on air would be his last appearance
on the show (now on
Youtube). He had a rather tense exchange with the host because he wandered off the script to say some general things about government policy that he wanted to cover. He also upset his hosts by suggesting that TV Asahi management was excluding him from further appearances because of explicit or implicit government pressure.
He countered the common wisdom that Prime Minister Abe is not accomplishing anything, and explained sarcastically that in fact he was pushing through his vision of a “beautiful Japan.” He then held up a placard that listed the three major goals the Abe administration has been working toward: nuclear technology exports, weapons exports, and gambling (or recklessness might be a better translation). Mr. Koga then gave his own advice that these three arrows of reform should be replaced by exports of renewable energy technology, peace and culture. Then he again held up the “I am not Abe” sign, explaining politely to his host that this time he did not trouble the Asahi staff to make the sign. This one he made for himself. He finished by holding up a placard with a quotation by Gandhi as he advised Japanese people to not be afraid to express their views:
He countered the common wisdom that Prime Minister Abe is not accomplishing anything, and explained sarcastically that in fact he was pushing through his vision of a “beautiful Japan.” He then held up a placard that listed the three major goals the Abe administration has been working toward: nuclear technology exports, weapons exports, and gambling (or recklessness might be a better translation). Mr. Koga then gave his own advice that these three arrows of reform should be replaced by exports of renewable energy technology, peace and culture. Then he again held up the “I am not Abe” sign, explaining politely to his host that this time he did not trouble the Asahi staff to make the sign. This one he made for himself. He finished by holding up a placard with a quotation by Gandhi as he advised Japanese people to not be afraid to express their views:
Nearly everything you do
is of no importance, but it is important that you do it. Changing yourself may
not change the world, but for the world to stay as it is, it depends on you not
changing.
 |
| Mr. Koga's proposals for changing national policy goals to renewable energy, peace and culture. |
Shigeaki
Koga may be banished from certain media outlets for the time being, but I have
a feeling we haven’t heard the last of him. It was interesting to note that in the reporting that followed this controversial broadcast, the media was very good at relating the conflict between Koga and TV Asahi, but there was no mention of the national policy issues that Mr. Koga tried to draw attention to.
UPDATES: All of these later reports on this topic in the mainstream media reported on the controversy and the scandal, but some of them had much to say Mr. Koga's essential message about the ominous drift of national policy toward disaster.
MAY 20, 2015 Shigeaki Koga, "The Threat to Press Freedom in Japan," The New York Times.
APRIL 26, 2015: "Effort by Japan to Stifle News Media Is Working," The New York Times.
APRIL 5, 2015: Koga’s parting shot may not hit its target.
MARCH 30, 2015: The Japan Times reported on the controversial broadcast a few days afterwards: Ex-bureaucrat blasts Abe on news program.
MARCH 29, 2015: Asahi Shimbun reported on the controversial broadcast the day after I wrote the above: Abe critic claims on air he was axed from TV program at behest of management.
UPDATES: All of these later reports on this topic in the mainstream media reported on the controversy and the scandal, but some of them had much to say Mr. Koga's essential message about the ominous drift of national policy toward disaster.
MAY 20, 2015 Shigeaki Koga, "The Threat to Press Freedom in Japan," The New York Times.
APRIL 26, 2015: "Effort by Japan to Stifle News Media Is Working," The New York Times.
APRIL 5, 2015: Koga’s parting shot may not hit its target.
MARCH 30, 2015: The Japan Times reported on the controversial broadcast a few days afterwards: Ex-bureaucrat blasts Abe on news program.
MARCH 29, 2015: Asahi Shimbun reported on the controversial broadcast the day after I wrote the above: Abe critic claims on air he was axed from TV program at behest of management.
Sources:
Martin Fackler, Effort by Japan to Stifle News Media Is Working, The New York Times, April 26, 2015.
“The GoodBureaucrat.” The Economist. September
14, 2011.
Japanese Perspective, February 27, 2015
"Abe critic claims on air he was axed from TV program at behest of management," Asahi Shimbun, March 29, 2015.
Tomohiro Sasaki, "Ex-bureaucrat blasts Abe on news program," The Japan Times, March 30, 2015.
Philip Brasor, "Koga’s parting shot may not hit its target," The Japan Times, April 4, 2015.
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