information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
14 Février 2015
February 13, 2015
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/politics/AJ201502130073
By HIDEKI AOTA/ Correspondent
PARIS--Japan’s press freedom ranking dropped two notches to No. 61 in an annual survey on freedom of information in 180 countries and regions.
Released Feb. 12 by international nongovernmental organization Reporters Without Borders, the World Press Freedom Index 2015 report cited the enforcement of the state secrets protection law in December 2014.
Under the law, reporters can be imprisoned for obtaining information that the government deems a “state secret.”
The report did not cover the Japanese government’s confiscation of the passport of a freelance photojournalist who planned to go to war-torn Syria later this month.
But Benjamin Ismail, head of the Asia-Pacific desk of the Paris-based NGO, said the Feb. 7 confiscation infringed on press freedom. He added that the decision to go to certain places for news coverage is up to journalists, not the government.
Overall, media freedom deteriorated throughout the world in 2014, according to the report.
The report showed that Northern European countries continued to hold the highest ranking in terms of press freedom. Finland took the top position, followed by Norway and Denmark.
North Korea and China remained in the cellar of the rankings, standing at 179 and 176, respectively. Syria was 177th.
The report also criticized the Islamic State extremist group for its attacks against journalists. The report said the militants are mercilessly killing reporters whom it regards as enemies.
The report also expressed anxieties over recent anti-terror measures taken by France and Britain. France eased procedures to monitor certain individuals, while Britain has gathered personal information on certain reporters.
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