Sankei Shimbun
A conservative, nationalist daily newspaper in Japan.
Last updated
The Sankei Shimbun is a daily national newspaper in Japan published by the Sankei Shimbun Co., Ltd, ranking amongst the top five most circulated newspapers in Japan. Together with its English-language paper Japan Forward, the Sankei Shimbun has been described as having a conservative, nationalist, far-right political stance. It has repeatedly published materials downplaying, whitewashing, or outright denying Japanese war crimes.
Lore & Background
The Sankei Shimbun, a daily national newspaper in Japan, was formed through the merger of two earlier publications: Jiji News and Nihon Kogyō Shimbun. Jiji News was established in 1882 by Fukuzawa Yukichi, a writer, translator, and journalist who also founded Keio University. Nihon Kogyō Shimbun, founded in 1933 by Hisakichi Maeda, focused on business news and was published by the Minami-Osaka Shimbun.
In 1941, the Osaka Shimbun, which had been renamed from Minami-Osaka Shimbun, merged with Osaka Jiji Shimpō. The next year, Nihon Kogyō Shimbun combined with other business newspapers in western Japan and changed its name to Sangyō Keizai Shimbun, or Sankei. In 1955, Sankei merged with Jiji Shimpō, and by 1959 both were placed under the Sankei Shimbun name.
In 1958, Shigeo Mizuno and Nobutaka Shikanai acquired Sankei. After facing financial trouble, the paper shifted its political stance from liberal to conservative. Both Mizuno and Shikanai later founded Fuji Television in 1959.
Reader's Guide
The Sankei Shimbun is part of the Fujisankei Communications Group and is 40% owned by Fuji Media Holdings. The company is also the owner of Osaka Broadcasting Corporation (OBC, Radio Osaka). The Sankei Shimbun started two online newspapers in 1996: Sankei Web and E-NEWS.
In 2001, it started NEWSVUE. In 2002, it merged with Osaka Shimbun. In 2005, it added video to its digital edition and renamed it Sankei NetView.
In 2007, it started a new online newspaper in collaboration with Microsoft. In 2014, it rebranded its online news as Sankei News. In 2017, it launched the English language online website Japan Forward.
Did You Know?
- Sankei Shimbun is one of Japan's five major national newspapers, alongside Yomiuri, Asahi, Mainichi, and Nihon Keizai Shimbun.
- In August 2014, South Korea filed suit against the Sankei for insults against president Park Geun-hye; Tatsuya Kato was acquitted in December 2015.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was the Sankei Shimbun founded?
The paper traces its origins to the Jiji News of 1882 and the Nihon Kogyō Shimbun of 1933. Those two predecessors merged in 1955 to create the Sankei Shimbun brand that exists today.
What political stance is the Sankei Shimbun known for?
The publication is widely described as holding a conservative, nationalist editorial line that many observers classify as far-right. It has repeatedly published material that downplays, whitewashes, or outright denies Japanese wartime atrocities.
Who owns the Sankei Shimbun?
The newspaper sits under the Fujisankei Communications Group, which in turn is 40 percent owned by Fuji Media Holdings. This places the paper inside a larger Japanese media conglomerate rather than under a single individual owner.
Why is the Sankei Shimbun considered significant in Japanese media?
As one of the five most widely read dailies in Japan, it wields considerable influence over public discourse. Its consistent nationalist editorial position and history of minimizing wartime responsibility make it a frequently cited case study in discussions of Japanese press politics.
More in Magazines & Newspapers
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Sankei Shimbun (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced