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is a Japanese weekly
news magazine A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio or television program, usually published weekly, consisting of articles about current events. News magazines generally discuss stories, in greater depth than do newspapers or new ...
(
Shūkanshi is a Japanese term for any weekly magazine, including politically provocative weekly tabloid newspapers. As noted by Watanabe and Gamble in the Japan Media Review and in their book ''A Public Betrayed'', the genre is "often described as bizarre ...
) based in
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, known for its
investigative journalism Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years rese ...
and frequent clashes with the Japanese government. It is considered one of the most influential weekly magazines in the country.


History and profile

''Shūkan Bunshun'' was first published in April 1959. The magazine is part of
Bungeishunjū is a Japanese publishing company known for its leading monthly magazine ''Bungeishunjū''. The company was founded by Kan Kikuchi in 1923. It grants the annual Akutagawa Prize, one of the most prestigious literary awards in Japan, as well as th ...
, a publishing group headquartered in Chiyoda,
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
. From October 2014 to September 2015 ''Shūkan Bunshun'' was the fourth best selling weekly magazine in Japan with a circulation of 680,296 copies. As a general-news magazine, ''Shūkan Bunshuns major competitor is the more conservative '' Shukan Shincho''. The magazine has been praised, but also criticized for its investigative reporting which takes on both political scandals, as well as those from the world of entertainment. In the first three months of 2016, "It brought down a minister and a politician, practically destroyed the careers of a popular celebrity and a news commentator and nearly broke up one of Japan's biggest boy bands," reported the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
which stated that the magazine was "shaking up the cosy media club" in Japan. However, the magazine was also widely criticized for its exposé of
Tetsuya Komuro is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of the ...
's adultery, with ''
The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...
'' stating that the story was not favorably received and that "Japanese netizens appear to have turned against Shukan Bunshun and other scandal-baiting publications.


Notable reports and controversies


Kazuyoshi Miura

In January 1984, Shūkan Bunshun reported the suspicion that
Kazuyoshi Miura , often known simply as Kazu (nicknamed "King Kazu"), is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Japan Football League club Suzuka Point Getters on loan from Yokohama FC. He played for the Japan national team from 1990 t ...
, a trading company owner, had someone shoot and kill his wife Kazumi in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
in November 1981 in order to obtain a huge insurance payout. They also reported the suspicion that Miura murdered his lover, Chizuko Shiraishi, in Los Angeles in 1979 and withdrew a large sum of money from her account. These cases were dubbed "L.A. Scandal". Until then, Miura had been treated as a tragic man whose wife was ruthlessly shot in Los Angeles, but overnight he was thrust into a completely opposite position. Following the Shūkan Bunshun articles, tabloid TV shows and numerous weekly magazines reported the scandal extensively day after day, night after night. In addition, they also reported extensively on Miura's privacy and his history of juvenile delinquency. The frenzy continued for a while, with numerous reporters and photographers surrounding Miura's house throughout the day, and as a result, he and his family fled to
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
for a time. In response, some of the press chased them all the way to London. Subsequently, an actress, a former lover of Miura, confessed that she had attacked his wife at his request in Los Angeles in August 1981. Miura was arrested in September 1985, and after a lengthy trial, the
Tokyo District Court is a district court located at 1-1-4 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.Supreme Court of Japan websit東京地方裁判所の紹介Retrieved on August 7, 2011 See also *Judicial system of Japan The judiciary (also known as the judicial sys ...
sentenced him to life imprisonment. However, the
Tokyo High Court is a high court in Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The is a special branch of Tokyo High Court. Japan has eight high courts: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Sendai, Sapporo, and Takamatsu. Each court has jurisdiction over one of ...
acquitted him for insufficient evidence, and in 2003, the
Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
rejected an appeal by the prosecution, thus confirming his innocence.(In the case of the actress who attacked his wife, he was convicted.) Note that after his arrest, he filed lawsuits against more than 400 articles in the press that he considered defamatory. According to Miura's own claim, he won more than 80% of these cases. In February 2008, Miura went to
Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...
, where he was arrested by local authorities because his cases were still under investigation in the U.S. territory. In October 2008, he committed suicide after he was sent to Los Angeles.


Onyanko Club

In April 1985, Shūkan Bunshun published the photo of six members of the idol group
Onyanko Club was a large all-girl Japanese pop idol group in the 1980s. Some members of the group participated in spin-off groups, such as Nyangilas, Ushiroyubi Sasaregumi and Ushirogami Hikaretai. Many of the latter two groups' songs were used as theme so ...
smoking in a coffee shop. This led to the dismissal of five out of the six members from the group. Since they were considered core members of the group, the scandal changed the form and fate of Onyanko Club.


Johnny & Associates

In 2001, ''Shūkan Bunshun'' ran a series on sexual harassment allegations against
Johnny & Associates is a Japanese talent agency, formed by Johnny Kitagawa in 1962, which trains and promotes groups of male entertainers known as . History 1962–1989 In 1962, Kitagawa launched his first group, Johnnys. In its early days, Kitagawa's agency rente ...
founder
Johnny Kitagawa John Hiromu Kitagawa (Japanese name ; October 23, 1931 – July 9, 2019), known professionally as , was an American-born Japanese businessman and talent manager. He was the founder and president of Johnny & Associates, a production agency for nu ...
, along with claims that Kitagawa had allegedly forced boys to drink alcohol and smoke. The exposé was particularly notable in that ''Shūkan Bunshun'' was the only media outlet willing to publish such allegations, especially since Kitagawa was known to have control over entertainment media. Johnny & Associates sued ''Shukan Bunshun'' for defamation, and in 2002, the
Tokyo District Court is a district court located at 1-1-4 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.Supreme Court of Japan websit東京地方裁判所の紹介Retrieved on August 7, 2011 See also *Judicial system of Japan The judiciary (also known as the judicial sys ...
ruled in favor of Kitagawa, awarding him in damages. In 2003, the fine was lowered to on the basis that the drinking and smoking allegations were defamatory, while the sexual harassment claims were not. Kitagawa filed an appeal to the
Supreme Court of Japan The , located in Hayabusachō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo, is the Supreme court, highest court in Japan. It has ultimate judicial authority to interpret the Constitution of Japan, Japanese constitution and decide questions of national law. It ...
, but it was rejected in 2004.


Minami Minegishi

On 31 January 2013, ''Shukan Bunshun'' reported that then-
AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol girl group named after the Akihabara (''Akiba'' for short) area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48's producer, Yasushi Akimoto, wanted to form a girl group with it ...
member
Minami Minegishi is a Japanese singer and actress, represented by Production Ogi. She was a member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48, and its subunit no3b. She is noted for having the longest tenure among the group's original members from 2005 to 2021. Ca ...
had spent a night at the apartment home of
Alan Shirahama is a Japanese performer, actor and DJ who is a member of Exile and also the leader of the Japanese all-male dance and music group Generations from Exile Tribe. Alan is represented with LDH. Early life Shirahama was born on 4 August 1993 to a ...
, a member of the
boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...
Generations from Exile Tribe Generations from Exile Tribe (Japanese: ジェネレーションズ・フロム・エグザイル・トライブ, stylized as GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE and formerly known as Generations) is a seven-member Japanese dance and vocal group formed ...
, despite that AKB48 members are not contractually allowed to have romantic relationships. A few hours later, after she was demoted to (trainee) status on 1 February, AKB48's
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel released a video of Minegishi's apology. In the video, she repeatedly apologized for her "thoughtless behavior" and hoped that the management would let her remain with the group, with her head shaved to show contrition. The punishment and subsequent head-shaving drew negative reactions from international media, including
Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse (AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency. AFP has regional headquarters in Nicosia, Montevideo, Hong Kong and Washington, D.C ...
,
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
, '' Daily News'', ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'',
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
, ''
Spiegel Online ''Der Spiegel (online)'' is a German news website. Before the renaming in January 2020, the website's name was ''Spiegel Online'' (short ''SPON''). It was founded in 1994 as the online offshoot of the German news magazine, ''Der Spiegel'', wit ...
'', and
Al Jazeera English Al Jazeera English (AJE; ar, الجزيرة‎, translit=al-jazīrah, , literally "The Peninsula", referring to the Qatar Peninsula) is an international 24-hour English-language news channel owned by the Al Jazeera Media Network, which is own ...
, who criticized AKB48's management and Japan's
idol Idol or Idols may refer to: Religion and philosophy * Cult image, a neutral term for a man-made object that is worshipped or venerated for the deity, spirit or demon that it embodies or represents * Murti, a point of focus for devotion or medit ...
industry over banning idols from having romantic relationships.


Becky

In January 2016, popular female TV
tarento Television personalities in Japan, known as in Japanese, are celebrities who regularly appear in mass media in Japan, especially as panelists on variety shows. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, bankable stars in America were described as "tal ...
, Becky's reputation dived after ''Shukan Bunshun'' revealed that she had an affair with musician
Enon Kawatani , known by the stage name , is a Japanese musician. He is the vocalist, guitarist and songwriter for the bands Gesu no Kiwami Otome, Indigo la End, Genie High, the instrumental band Ichikoro, and also works as a songwriter for other musicians. ...
who at the time was married. Following the scandal, Kawatani announced that he had officially divorced his wife. In order to appease the public backlash and as a condition for her comeback to show business in Japan, Becky tried to officially apologize to Kawatani's wife. However, having no direct channel to her, Becky contacted the ''Shukan Bunshuns editorial department instead. ''Shukan Bunshun'' published the full contents of Becky’s letter at the end of April 2016. As a result of her apologies, Becky was able to make a comeback with an appearance on TBS. In her first appearance back on TV, she appeared on ''Full Chorus - Music is Full Chorus'' on the cable channel BS Skyperfect TV. As a result of the expose, Becky lost many of her sponsors and other sources of income. According to some commentators, the sharp difference between the consequences of the affair for her compared to those for Enon, highlights Japan’s double standards for women in the entertainment world.


Sean K

In March 2016, Sean McArdle Kawakami's career as a Japanese news and business commentator came to an abrupt end after ''Shukan Bunshun'' revealed a fabricated academic background that included claims of an
MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
from the world-famous
Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...
, as well as further false claims to have graduated from
Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...
and conducted a Study abroad at Pantheon Sorbonne, University of Paris 1.


Kawai vote-buying in Hiroshima

In 2019, shortly after a report published in ''Shukan Bunshun'', alleging that
House of Councillors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, ...
's representative
Anri Kawai is a Japanese politician, formerly of the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), Liberal Democratic Party, and a former member of the House of Councillors of Japan, House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan, Diet. Her husband is member of the Hous ...
's election office had paid campaign announcers a daily amount that exceeded the permitted legal limit, her husband Katsuyuki Kawai announced his resignation as Minister for Justice on the 30th October, 2019. In the aftermath of the initial article, further revelations followed, that the headquarters of the governing Liberal Democratic Party had transferred an unusually large amount of 150 million yen to the local Hiroshima office, prior to the election. A list of at least 100 recipients of money, including prefectural and municipal politicians from the Hiroshima prefecture, as well as members of the couple's campaign groups, was found on a computer belonging to Katsuyuki Kawai after a raid on the couple's house and offices. On 16 June 2020, Anri Kawai and her husband, Katsuyuki Kawai, left the Liberal Democratic Party amidst the ongoing allegations of buying votes to aid her campaign for the House of Councilors. They were later arrested by public prosecutors on 19 June 2020 on charges of vote-buying and distributing around 25 million yen to politicians and supporters in Hiroshima in violation of the Public Office Elections Law. Subsequently, in July 2020, the Hiroshima district and high court ruled that a state-paid secretary to Anri Kawai paid 2.04 million yen in total to 14 members of Kawai's campaign staff between 19 and 23 July 2019 during the election to the House of Councillors, an amount which implied payments higher than the legal limit of 15,000 yen per person per day. As a result, the secretary received a punishment of 18 months in prison, suspended for 5 years. In the wake of the conviction, the Hiroshima High Public Prosecutors Office filed a lawsuit to cancel Anri Kawai’s 2019 election victory, on the basis of guilt by association as defined under the Japanese Public Offices Election Law. On 20 January 2021, the Tokyo District Court sentenced Anri Kawai to a year and four months in prison, suspended for five years. The court ruled that her distribution of money to local legislators in Hiroshima was in violation of the Public Offices Election Law. In the indictment, one member of the
Etajima , also called , ''Nomijima'', ''Nomi Island'', or is an island in Hiroshima Bay located in southwestern Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The mess with island name originates from the ancient (and possibly legendary) strait at now town . Geography Th ...
Municipal Assembly and four members of the Prefectural Assembly admitted receiving cash payments of ¥1.7 million in total. The local politicians stated that they believed Anri Kawai and her husband passed them the money to secure support for Anri Kawai in the Upper House election of 2019.


References


External links

* {{Authority control 1959 establishments in Japan Investigative journalism Magazines established in 1959 Magazines published in Tokyo News magazines published in Asia Weekly magazines published in Japan