Sankei Shimbun
A major Japanese newspaper with a large circulation, but not a national newspaper.
The Sankei Shimbun is a daily national newspaper in Japan, published by the Sankei Shimbun Co., Ltd., and ranks among the five most circulated newspapers in the country. It is part of the Fujisankei Communications Group, with Fuji Media Holdings owning 40% of the company. The newspaper also owns the Osaka Broadcasting Corporation. The Sankei Shimbun was formed through a series of mergers. Its roots include Jiji News, founded in 1882 by Fukuzawa Yukichi, and Nihon Kogyō Shimbun, a business newspaper founded in 1933. After several consolidations, including a merger with Jiji Shimpō in 1955, the Sankei Shimbun name was adopted in 1959. In 1958, the paper was acquired by Shigeo Mizuno and Nobutaka Shikanai, who later founded Fuji Television. Following financial difficulties, the Sankei shifted from a liberal to a conservative editorial stance. The newspaper launched its first online editions in 1996 and has since developed various digital platforms, including a video edition in 2005 and a rebranded online news service in 2014. In 2017, it launched the English-language website Japan Forward. The Sankei Shimbun has been described as having a conservative, nationalist, and far-right political stance. It has repeatedly published materials that downplay, whitewash, or deny Japanese war crimes, including revisionist perspectives on the Nanjing Massacre and the "comfort women" system. In 2014, it apologized for running an advertisement for antisemitic books. In 2015, a columnist wrote in favor of accepting immigrants but suggested segregation based on the South African apartheid model. That same year, the paper published a history book questioning Japanese war crimes. In 2025, journalists alleged the Sankei had spread anti-Kurdish sentiment through misleading stories. In August 2014, South Korea sued the Sankei for insulting President Park Geun-hye, leading to a year-long prosecution of its Seoul bureau chief, who was eventually acquitted.
- Field
- Daily newspaper
- Nationality
- Japanese
Lore & Background
The Sankei Shimbun is a daily national newspaper in Japan, ranking among the country’s top five most circulated newspapers. It is published by the Sankei Shimbun Co., Ltd., and is part of the Fujisankei Communications Group, with 40% ownership by Fuji Media Holdings. The newspaper also owns the Osaka Broadcasting Corporation. Its name is a shortened form derived from the merger of two older newspapers: Jiji News, founded in 1882 by Fukuzawa Yukichi, and Nihon Kogyō Shimbun, a business-focused paper founded in 1933. After a series of mergers and name changes, the Sankei and Jiji Shimpō were placed under the Sankei Shimbun masthead in 1959. The paper was acquired in 1958 by Shigeo Mizuno and Nobutaka Shikanai, who later founded Fuji Television. The Sankei Shimbun has been described as having a conservative, nationalist, and far-right political stance. It has repeatedly published materials that downplay, whitewash, or deny Japanese war crimes, including revisionist perspectives on the Nanjing Massacre and the “comfort women” system. In 2015, it published a history book questioning the veracity of Japanese war crimes. The newspaper also launched an English-language online website, Japan Forward, in 2017. Its range covers national news, and it has a history of controversy, including a 2014 defamation suit filed by South Korea over an article about President Park Geun-hye, and an apology in the same year for running an advert for antisemitic books.
Reader's Guide
The Sankei Shimbun is a daily national newspaper in Japan, ranking among the top five most circulated newspapers in the country. It is published by the Sankei Shimbun Co., Ltd. and is part of the Fujisankei Communications Group, with 40% ownership by Fuji Media Holdings. The newspaper also owns the Osaka Broadcasting Corporation. Its English-language online counterpart is Japan Forward. The Sankei Shimbun was formed through a series of mergers, beginning with the 1941 union of the Osaka Shimbun and the Osaka Jiji Shimpō, followed by the 1942 merger of the Nihon Kogyō Shimbun with other business newspapers in western Japan, which adopted the name Sangyō Keizai Shimbun (Sankei). In 1955, the Sankei merged with the Jiji Shimpō, and by 1959 both were placed under the Sankei Shimbun masthead. The newspaper was acquired in 1958 by Shigeo Mizuno and Nobutaka Shikanai, who later founded Fuji Television. After financial difficulties, the paper shifted from a liberal to a conservative stance. The Sankei Shimbun has been described as having a conservative, nationalist, and far-right political stance. It has repeatedly published materials that downplay, whitewash, or deny Japanese war crimes, including revisionist perspectives on the Nanjing Massacre and the "comfort women" system. In 2015, it published a history book questioning the veracity of claims of Japanese war crimes. The newspaper has also faced controversy, including a 2014 South Korean defamation suit over an article about President Park Geun-hye, and an apology that same year for running an advertisement for antisemitic books. In 2015, a regular columnist wrote an opinion piece suggesting Japan adopt elements of South African apartheid to manage immigrant separation. In 2025, journalists alleged the Sankei Shimbun had a significant role in spreading anti-Kurdish sentiment in Japan through misleading stories.
Did You Know?
- The Sankei Shimbun has a large circulation but is not classified as one of Japan's four national newspapers.
- The other three national newspapers in Japan are The Asahi Shimbun, the Yomiuri Shimbun, and the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.
- The Chunichi Shimbun also has a large circulation but is not a national newspaper, similar to the Sankei Shimbun.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Sankei Shimbun?
It is a Japanese daily national newspaper that ranks among the top five most circulated papers in the country. It is published by Sankei Shimbun Co., Ltd. and operates as part of the broader Fujisankei Communications Group.
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 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record