This site provides the links to English online news articles in technology, healthcare, and democracy fields as well as Japan-related interesting stories. I translate the headlines for Japanese audience, and occasionally add article summaries and comments.

My target audience is the Japanese media professionals. I search through reputable news sources in English and pick the articles that I feel valuable to them.

The format is inspired by Privacy Forum, a mailing list, which is run by Lauren Weinstein.

When the Japanese domestic media wouldn’t spell out the words “Unification Church” in their reporting after the assassination of Shinzo Abe, a former prime minister of Japan, I gave up on them. BBC, the New York Times and the other major overseas news outlets clearly suggested the close tie between the powerful ruling party politician and the Korean cult soon after the tragic incident; however, the national newspapers and the network TV stations in Japan kept silence. It was like witnessing mass suicide as responsible news organizations.

I am not sure that it was government censorship or self-censorship. Either way, the Japanese media tried to discourage the voters, who don’t read or watch foreign news, from knowing an important detail. They did a big favor to the ruling party, of which Abe was a high ranking member, by withholding the fact about his cult ties until the upper house general election was closed. The party scored a big win and assured to keep the majority in both upper and lower houses for the next 3 years.

The traffic accident and serious injury 10 year ago forced me into a semi-retired life. However, I felt the importance of providing our people easy access to the news from the outside of the country. Unless they have access to alternative news sources, I am afraid that the vast majority of Japanese won’t be able to make informed judgement on important issues.

I spent most of the 1990s in the United States as a technology and medical journalist. I contributed to newspapers and magazines in Japan. Now, I am old and rusty, but I think I still have the basic research skills to pick good articles written in English. It would be a great pleasure for me if this site gives more people in Japan to have an interest in the news from overseas.

January 2023

Matatabi News Digest (matatabinews@gmail.com)