After the Japanese government announced its intention to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks, one magazine after another is publishing feature articles on the issue. Not only political and economic magazines but even gossip magazines have put together well-described stories on such topics as food safety and privatization of health care. The articles are receiving positive reactions from readers, indicating that magazines can play an effective role in stimulating public concern over the TPP talks.
“Your breakfast will be filled with genetically modified foods and foods grown using pesticides.” “Even full-time employees will be fired suddenly like in the United States.” “You won’t be able to take your child to a hospital if you don’t have money.” These are the phrases of a four-panel comic strip that appeared in the April 23 issue of Shukan Josei, a weekly gossip magazine published by Shufu To Seikatsu Sha. The comic strip predicts the future after Japan’s entry in to the TPP talks.
The magazine ran a 10-page story on the TPP agreement, titled “Japan’s Americanization proceeds – This is how the TPP can change your lives!” Based on interviews to experts, the article listed issues of concern regarding food safety, medical services and employment. Using many illustrations, the article warned that the agreement has such a big influence on people’s lives that they cannot just get away with it by being ignorant. The story was chosen as the most interesting article in a readership survey.
The March 28 issue of Shukan Shincho, a weekly magazine published by Shinchosha Publishing Co., ran a feature story titled “20 mysteries of the TPP talks hidden in a fog.” It indicated the possibility that even tenders for local government’s small-scale public investment projects will be made open to foreign companies, and local companies will not be given preferential treatment. It also noted that the local governments’ restrictions on foreign companies’ purchasing of forests that provide water resources may become subject to the investor-state dispute mechanism which allows companies to sue foreign countries’ national and local governments for losses inflicted by legislative regulations.
Shukan Shincho took up the issue of the TPP talks also in its May 23 edition, focusing on the safety of food, and pointed to the concern that roughly 2,200 kinds of food additives currently unapproved in Japan could swarm in from the U.S.
Weekly Playboy (Shukan Preiboi), a weekly magazine for men published by Shueisha, have reported on the TPP talks from time to time, appealing such issues of concern as the possible abolishment of labeling requirements for genetically modified foods and Japan’s weak negotiating power. The magazine’s editors say they plan to continue reporting on the issue.
July 5 issue of Weekly Post (Shukan Posuto) published by Shogakukan reported that the U.S. government is trying to include in the discussions for deregulation Japan’s safety standards for food products. Weekly tabloid magazines such as Friday and Flash also published stories concerning the adverse effects of the TPP agreement.
Takaaki Hattori, professor of mass media studies at Rikkyo University, said many of the articles are substantial and are well worth reading, although stating that the reports came too late. Hattori stressed that the TPP agreement is likely to draw higher public attention and the media has the mission to report on the several risks which it poses.
While noting that industry journals and local newspapers are making efforts to report accurately and precisely on the realities concerning the TPP talks, Hattori criticized national newspapers and major television networks for reporting too much on the pro-TPP stance.
Weekly magazines tend to be seen as concentrating only on trend spotting, but Hattori said he hopes such magazines will also play a significant role as a part of news media by reporting on the realities and risks of the TPP talks not on a one-off basis but on a continual basis.
(July 20, 2013)