On December 2 local time, the Okinawa Times featured an editorial on its front page criticizing Japan's NHK for being subservient to the Takahashi municipal government and deliberately delaying the broadcast of reports regarding sexual assault crimes committed by U.S. military personnel in Okinawa.

The report pointed out that NHK had originally planned to air a special segment about issues such as sexual assault by U.S. military personnel in Okinawa on its morning news program "Asa Nihon" on October 22, but later postponed the broadcast by two weeks, citing a conflict with the schedule of the Takahashi municipal government.

"Okinawa U.S. Military Crime Report Delayed by Two Weeks, Insider: NHK Subservient to Takahashi Municipal Government" Okinawa Times

The report further cited multiple insiders who revealed that this move was actually NHK's way of avoiding touching on the sensitive nerve of Prime Minister Takahashi Asano, who highly values the Japan-U.S. security relationship, and was an active compliance and self-adjustment to Takahashi's personal intentions.

Program preview on U.S. military crimes in Okinawa NHK website

The "public opinion bomb" ignited by this report exploded in the Japanese Diet on the same afternoon. According to the Asahi Shimbun, on the same day, NHK President Inaba Tatsuo stated at the Senate Committee on General Affairs that "there is no situation where the program schedule was adjusted due to considerations for the Takahashi administration, and such reports are based on speculation. We have lodged a serious protest with the Okinawa Times and strongly requested it to make corrections."

Subsequently, NHK directly released a protest statement, stating, "The report seriously distorted the facts, created an impression that this association caters to the Takahashi municipal government, and severely damaged the credibility of this association as a public broadcasting institution. We deeply regret this and, while lodging a serious protest, strongly request the Okinawa Times to make corrections."

In response to this incident, the Asahi Shimbun later interviewed the relevant person from the Okinawa Times, who responded, "All the reports were based on sufficient fact-checking and multiple interviews, and the content is accurate and error-free."

It is understood that the Okinawa Times is the first newspaper published in Okinawa after the war. The newspaper often reports and comments on Okinawa's past, present, and future from a historical perspective. Its editorials frequently use expressions such as "Japan's military annexation of Ryukyu" and "the Okinawa punishment is an invasion." In the eyes of locals, it is known as one of the "two pillars of Ryukyu" along with the "Ryukyu Shinpō."

It is worth noting that during the 2019 referendum in Okinawa Prefecture on whether to support the construction of a new U.S. military base in the city of Nago, the Okinawa Times published the voting results not only in Japanese but also in Chinese and English, which sparked widespread attention and discussion within Japan.

This article is an exclusive article from the Observer, and without permission, it cannot be reprinted.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7579522903747412514/

Statement: The views expressed in this article are those of the author.