ABSTRACT
This book has thus far examined the Japanese newspaper, and the local Japanese newspaper, in depth and on the basis of a host of various measures: the structure and history of the industry, the specific character of several specific local newspapers along with the similarities and differences that can be found in a number of local newspapers, and, in the previous chapter, overall newspaper reading patterns and a consideration of how the industry sees itself. The themes that have emerged over the course of the book, contextualized by the contemporary decline in the newspaper industry overall, focus on three areas. First there is the balance of the national newspapers of Japan versus the local newspapers of the outlying areas of Japan, a balance that implies scale, of course, but also reveals particular readership patterns and influences content orientation. Second is the tension surrounding what constitutes contemporary journalism and the various influences—political, economic, organizational, procedural, professional and reference group—that come into play in the character and process of newspaper production as a business on one side and the outcome in a quality and relevant news product that reflects sound, ethical and meaningful journalistic practice for the local reader on the other. Finally, there is the question as to the future of the local Japanese newspaper, and what this balance, national versus local, and these tensions, reflecting business imperatives versus journalistic orientations, point to as the role, and the fate, of the local newspaper, not only in Japan, but also in general. Thus, this final chapter takes up the question of what the newspaper can be, considering the future of the Japanese newspaper—and, more specifically, the local Japanese newspaper.
