Hiroshima journalist gives PM a piece of his mind

“I can see myself objectively. I’m not like you.” That was Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda snapping back at a newspaper reporter who suggested his heart wasn’t in his job. That exchange took place at the press conference on Sept 1 when Fukuda announced he was stepping down as prime minister.

“There was nothing wrong with the question. The reporter asked that question on behalf of many of us,” said another Japanese journalist based at the Prime Minister’s Office.

The journalist in question is Masakazu Domen, a 37-year-old political reporter from Chugoku Shimbun newspaper in Hiroshima. He became a political correspondent in Tokyo last year.

One of the reasons why Domen was critical of Fukuda during the press conference is due to Fukuda’s perceived lack of awareness of A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima and his failure to come up with criteria for recognizing A-bomb victims. Another newspaper reporter at the Prime Minister’s Office says Domen was also disappointed by Fukuda’s political complacency.

The feeling that Fukuda’s heart wasn’t in his job might have been uppermost in Domen’s mind. While most political reporters at the Prime Minister’s Office are young and hesitate to ask critical questions, Domen is now seen as a journalist willing to toss hardball questions. (Translated by Taro Fujimoto)

10 Comments

hoserfella at 05:36 PM JST - 8th September

Hope Domen enjoyed it- He probably won't be invited back into the "press club" now.
bamboohat at 09:48 PM JST - 8th September

Interesting to see what comes of this. Will it spur more reporters to ask tough questions? Or will it scare them back into the comfortable submission that only allows them to seek what they already know?
pathat at 10:42 PM JST - 8th September

"While most political reporters at the Prime Minister’s Office are young and hesitate to ask critical questions, Domen is now seen as a journalist willing to toss hardball questions."

A more accurate description of him as a Japanese would be to say he is an "oddball," and, as such, will find himself reassigned in the not-too-distant future if he continues to ask controversial questions, instead of the usual scripted ones.
usaexpat at 11:40 PM JST - 8th September

Domen probably won't be asking questions of the PM again anytime soon. Most leaders tend to bar mebers of the press core who ask "tough" questions.
fds at 11:01 AM JST - 9th September

too bad fukuda's response is typical of politicians and doesn't answer the question.
bushlover at 03:37 PM JST - 9th September

What exactly was the question? We don't have the exact question here.
presto345 at 10:01 PM JST - 9th September

Why doesn't this news snippet tell what exactly the question was?
cracaphat at 12:36 AM JST - 10th September

Ｂｅｃａｕｓｅ　ｗｈｏ　ｃａｒｅｓ　？
illsayit at 10:29 AM JST - 11th September

Geez, wish all of yous would read more before putting your 2 cents behind a upcoming smart-mouthed stupid reporter!

Read about Hirohima victims, and about how much they actually get, including generations after the time.

I think Fukuda's reply was spot on. This guy is just looking to cause trouble (in America these tactics may be necessary, but in Japan people usually listen better and dont lie as much). Fukuda is right, his heart has and is in the job more than this silly reporter-anybody could ask such a simply stupid question.
dennis0bauer at 03:21 PM JST - 12th September

domen will be back on the entertaiment section soon ;)