It's no secret that Japanese politicians look upon the media as public-relations tools, and, unfortunately, too many media outlets seem to accept this role.

And so do some bureaucrats. One, whom I know personally, very frequently talks of how the government uses the press/media to bring the public to its way of thinking. Nothing unusual for a government, but perhaps unusual in a democracy because of the willingness of the press to kowtow to government wishes.

The quote above is from the Japan Times (today) in an article about the recent Supreme Court decision upholding the government mouthpiece NHK to edit (censor) a mock trial which found Hirohito guilty of war crimes. NHK buckled to pressure from Mr. Bowel Trouble Abe and his band of merry LDP extreme rightwingers. The Supreme Court in essence upheld the right of the LDP to pressure taxpayer supported public TV/radio to self-censor.

Pay your monthly legally required fee to NHK yet?