The Asahi Shimbun has a really ridiculous article on the Kisha Club system, implying that the only criticism is that of foreign news organizations.
http://www.asahi.com/english/nation/TKY200402210203.html
What is totally lacking is any sense that the Kisha club system helps to promote censorship.
A site that sheds light on this is that of Ken’ichi Asano, journalism professor and former reporter for Kyodo Tsushin
ENGLISH only
http://www1.doshisha.ac.jp/%7Ekasano/FEATURES/Eindex.html
ENGLISH And JAPANESE (more articles)
http://www1.doshisha.ac.jp/%7Ekasano/
Also:
Why Japan Remains a Threat to Peace and Democracy in Asia
by Kenichi Asano
Kenichi Asano is a Professor of Communication Studies at Doshisha
University, Kyoto, Japan.
from Censored 2004
http://tokyoprogressive.org/tpnews_comments.php?id=P719_0_2_0_C
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On this page, and throughout the TokyoProgressive web site, there are links to unreported and underreported news stories, as well as coverage of self-censorship by the media, Japan-included.
Many stories NOT covered by the Japanese press
Includes:
Government Media Censorship on Mad Cow Disease and many more….
http://tokyoprogressive.org/link2.html
And try this, for other underreported issues:
http://japanfocus.org/
More links here:
http://tokyoprogressive.org/index.php#todaysnews
And here
http://www.japan-press.co.jp/
And here:
http://www.jca.apc.org/jca-net/jpd/issues-ja.html
http://www.kinyobi.co.jp/Recent
And here:
http://www.zmag.org/japanwatch/