In the case of the Asahi Shimbun, excessive narcissism is causing friction with Japanese society and the Japanese people.
Aug 09, 2018
The following is a chapter that I sent out to Japan and the world on 2018-06-27 and should be re-read by both Japan and the world.
The emphasis in the text, except for the headline, is mine.
The "Anti-Japanese" Disease
I have been a reporter at the Yomiuri Shimbun for more than 20 years.
I have long had strong doubts about the Asahi Shimbun's reporting stance, prioritizing ideology over facts.
When I found out that the Asahi Shimbun fabricated the article on Article 9, I was filled with an emotion similar to anger, thinking that this was nothing but the blasphemy against journalism.
At the same time, I wondered if there was a "mental illness" behind the newspaper's systematic fabrication of the article.
Why do they fabricate, or instead, why are they able to fabricate?
As I thought about it, I remembered what a German historian once told me about "historical research through psychology.
I wondered if it was possible to psychoanalyze Japanese leftists such as the Asahi Shimbun and progressive cultural figures, which led me to write "The Disease of 'Anti-Japanese': Unraveling Japanese Brainwashing by GHQ and the Media" (Gentosha).
Some Japanese conservatives have criticized the Asahi Shimbun for being "self-defeating.
The newspaper is indeed a Japanese media outlet. Still, it is not unreasonable for it to be seen as such when constantly reporting news that is detrimental to the national interest.
Paradoxically, however, I have come to believe that they may actually have more "self-love" than any other organization.
In other words, I hypothesized that the sense of self-preservation that they are "good Japanese" and different from "bad Japanese" who do not reflect on the past of war, and the worldview of good and evil might lead the Asahi Shimbun to fabricate things.
＊When I read this hypothesis; I immediately thought that ... for some reason, the mental structure of Kiyomi Tsujimoto, who NHK airs to the point of disgusting ... and who was originally a criminal who was arrested, makes sense if you think of it this way*.
When I questioned a psychiatrist about this hypothesis, he said, "Indeed, the Asahi Shimbun has much in common with a narcissistic personality disorder.
The symptom can be described as the "anti-Japanese" disease.
Everyone has narcissism, but if it becomes too much, it will eventually lead to conflicts with the people around them.
In the case of the Asahi Shimbun, excessive narcissism has caused friction to Japanese society and the Japanese people.
The worst example is its coverage of comfort women.
Where it should have written articles based on the facts it had interviewed, the Asahi Shimbun continued to write articles based on the falsehoods of Seiji Yoshida for many years.
Since it started with a lie, whatever it writes can only be fiction.
Indeed, the Asahi Shimbun's reporting on the Nanking Incident and the textbook issue is also the result of excessive narcissism. Still, the fact is that it has soured relations with neighboring countries and significantly damaged Japan's reputation in the world.
This article continues.
