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‘Renewed Optimism in the Future for Regional Newspapers’

As for The Kahoku Shimpo, the largest newspaper in the northeastern region of Japan, it celebrated the 112th anniversary of its operations in January, 2009. Ichiriki Masahiko, its President, is a prominent journalist from a family with deep roots in the media business, including newspaper, radio and TV, in Sendai, the central city in northeastern Japan. With the newspaper industry experiencing considerable difficulty worldwide these days, he visited Korea to look into possible opportunities to promote cooperative initiatives with Korean newspapers.

1. Since you are from Japan, it seems that you would be quite familiar with various aspects of Korea.
I have many different feelings about Korea because this is my first visit since I traveled around Korea with my family about 30 years ago. The lively streets and big modernized cities are all new sights for me. I am really grateful to have this opportunity to see such a new Korea. There are nine Korean Consulate General offices in Japan, with one of them being in Sendai. So, Sendai enjoys close relations with Korea. I came to Korea thanks to a recommendation by a former Korean Consul General in Sendai, and also because I felt that exchange at the regional level was just as important as exchange at the state level. I rode the KTX to visit Daegu, which I was most pleased to see in person.

2. Your newspaper has maintained a close relationship with The Maeil Shinmun, Daegu since 2005. How did this affiliation come about?
A forum for local newspapers was co-organized by the Japanese Association of Local Newspapers and Korea’s leading local newspapers, such as The Daejon Ilbo, The Busan Ilbo, and The Maeil Shinmun, Daegu, in 2001. After the forum, the president of The Maeil Shinmun visited The Kahoku Shimpo. At that time, there was some talk about personnel exchange, but nothing actually materialized. Then in 2005, a proposed exchange program took shape with more specific details. The Maeil Shinmun President’s visit opened relations between our two newspapers, so my visit this time provided us with an opportunity to share ideas about the problems faced by local newspapers and to discuss efforts to overcome the limitations of regional newspapers.

3. Although you can only do so much in a one-week period, how would you assess your visit?
I had a very substantial stay. I visited many places and met with many people. Of course, based on my involvement with journalism, I wanted to see various Korean media for myself. I had so many memorable experiences. Especially, while touring the Presseum, a newspaper museum operated by The Dong-A Ilbo, I admired the fact that a newspaper could maintain a museum like this on its own. I also assumed that the Presseum would mainly display items related to The Dong-A Ilbo, but I was surprised to see the exhibition of newspapers from about 100 countries all around the world. I also noticed young students who were touring the museum. It was most impressive for the museum to take an interest in young students, who will soon become the leaders of this country. In addition, I was impressed by the efforts The Dong-A Ilbo put into the Newspaper in Education (NIE) program. I also observed similar efforts made by The Maeil Shinmun, Daegu. In Japan, for the most part, it is school teachers who are most eager to implement the NIE program, while in Korea, I have heard that the NIE program is practiced even in the homes of students. I think this is a valuable lesson for us to learn from. And my visit to KBS was very memorable as well. Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB), a new form of broadcasting, attracted my keen attention. It was inspiring to hear how they struggled so much to come up with a DMB business model. What I found most unique was the horizontal writing system of Korean newspapers, along with the minimal usage of Chinese characters.

4. In light of the natural limitations of a local newspaper, are there also advantages that you can take capitalize on?
It is true that local newspapers have regional limitations. But they also have the ability to be closer to the local community and can be more sensitive to people’s sentiments. Therefore, we have agreed on the importance of local newspapers to engage in joint efforts to develop regional culture and economic development. As for our own case, we receive general information about Japan from TV coverage, and then prepare in-depth reports on various regional issues so that readers can rely on The Kahoku Shimpo for the latest news about Sendai.
You may have heard about a new term “Glocal.” I believe that “Think Globally, Act Locally” is the path for local newspapers, like ourselves, to pursue. Today, environment issues are now concerns of the global community. So we should show local people how they can respond to these kinds of issues at a local level. I found this visit to be especially meaningful because I was able to learn about how we were seen by others and how we can develop through cooperative exchange.

5. It must be most satisfying to have enjoyed such a meaningful visit. So, what areas do you plan to follow up on when you return home?
After visiting various news media institutions in Korea, I thought we could initiate exchanges with Korean newspapers and relevant organizations under a variety of themes. I also hope to play the role of a coordinator in such exchanges. In addition, The Maeil Shinmun’s campaign for organ donation left a deep impression on me. It gave me an opportunity to again reflect on the role of newspapers for the betterment of society. This was a highly significant visit to confirm why we should promote exchange and make more efforts to cooperate closely with each other.

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