The following is from "Masayuki Takayama Criticize US, Shina, Korea, Asahi," published on 2013/12/10 by Masayuki Takayama, the one and only journalist in the postwar world, Themis, 1000 yen.
It is a must-read not only for the Japanese people but for people worldwide.
Everyone will be amazed at the sharpness of his tongue as he reveals and conveys the truth to us.
It is no exaggeration to say that this is his best book regarding sharpness of argument.
Emphasis in the text other than the headline is mine.
The reason newspapers are not subscribed to is that they ignore "national interests."
Asahi Shimbun and other newspapers claim that "newspapers are fair," but if you read them, they are bad for your health.
Americans read "newspapers.
The number of people who read newspapers is decreasing rapidly.
In one year, the number of copies has decreased by 980,000.
In Nakano Ward, Tokyo, the number of subscribers has dropped to less than 40%.
It is said that this is a terminal symptom.
We often hear the excuse that people have become less interested in the printed word or that the Internet or other new media have appeared on the scene.
Or it is because the business is outdated, like newspaper delivery.
I have heard such stories since my days as a correspondent in Los Angeles twenty years ago.
It is not from "progressive Americans" but Japanese newspaper people who came to the U.S. to investigate the advanced state of newspapers in the U.S.
But I was skeptical.
Because in the townhouse where I lived then, four out of five households, except for a widower businessman, had a newspaper.
Newspapers were distributed in the middle of the night by young men on motorcycles.
It was just like in Japan.
At Christmas, people gave money to the newspaper deliveryman to express their appreciation for his hard work, just like mail delivery.
The landlord told me the minimum price was $20, and if you delivered newspapers to 50 houses, it would be $1,000.
I remember I was a little surprised.
I was surprised to find out that there were no deliveries on weekends.
Instead, Sunday paper was piled up in front of the supermarket, and single people would buy it and read it while drinking coffee at Starbucks.
A TV column for one week's worth of questions was also tucked in.
The newspaper delivery system is almost the same as in Japan, and quite a large number of Americans read print newspapers.
