Japanese journalists are being muzzled under Abe, warns media commentator
Journalists under growing pressure to put administration in a positive light, commentator claims
Fears of a crisis in press freedom are growing in Japan with accusations the government is ramping up pressure on journalists to "toe the line" and claims that news outlets are no longer "putting up a fight".
Media commentator Shigeaki Koga, who became a frequent face on news programmes after leaving the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said the Abe administration was increasingly coaxing members of the press to pull their punches.
He crossed ideological swords with the government in his role at the ministry, where his proposals for radical reforms of personnel policies drew anger from his superiors and powerful politicians.
Koga also criticised the close ties between his ministry and the electric utilities that it's meant to oversee, as well as the handling of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant disaster.
"What is happening in Japan is that the media are avoiding confrontation with the government because of the pressure it applies, instead of putting up a fight," Koga said this week.
In February, Koga caused waves in a live exchange with the anchor of the Hodo Station programme on TV Asahi, where he insisted he was being forced out of the company because of pressure on the broadcaster from the government.