Mr Takashi Uesugi talks about how Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) controls information - @Press conference of Free Press Association of Japan on 6th April 2011
According to the freelance journalist Mr Takashi Uesugi,
many TV stations and Newspapers receive a huge amount of advertising money from Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).
This is the reason why most of the journalists cannot make negative comments towards TEPCO or about the nuclear power station which results in biased and untruthful reporting.
TEPCO not only pays a huge advertising cost, they also invites the mass media to golf entertainments and numerous overseas trips on a regular basis.
They have been entertaining the journalists in China at the onset of nuclear crisis.
Basically, I'll say this in simplest terms, they (including commercial broadcasters) will not say anything harmful about their sponsor, they will not ever criticize about Federation of Electric Power Companies (FEPC) which is taboo.
This is the reason why you did not read a newspaper or watched a TV programs that said anything negative about TEPCO when the disaster first occurred.
Four days later the disaster, Mr Mizuno, a commentator from NHK, was the first person to question whether TEPCO is hiding some data during the program called Newsline.
NHK is funded by TV license fee and not influenced by sponsors' advertising fee and perhaps that's why they can ask questions. However, credible commentators from other commercial TV stations, newspapers have said not a single word of criticism towards TEPCO.
The question has already been raised in the conference but this is because, on the day we experienced the 311 earthquake, TEPCO CEO Mr Katsumata and some journalists including publishing companies have been on a client entertainment trip to China.
This, a week long entertainment trip costs 50K Yen per person. Everything was paid for including flight costs and it's been an annual event.
On top of that, they have taken journalists for dinners every week, golf entertainment and frequent overseas trips, so the media power was bought by TEPCO.
They also receive a 2 billion yen from the government.
This kind of things have been going on for many years.
Even after the disaster, TEPCO has been paying advertising fee to TV stations and newspaper to print apology notice.
The reported amount is roughly a few hundreds million yen.
TEPCO should have provided a disaster payment to those that have been affected before spending money on the apology notice adverts. Instead, they wasted a few hundreds million on the adverts and TV commercials.
On TBS radio show called KiraKira, Mr Uesugi was asked to quit the show soon after he criticised its sponsor TEPCO.
Journalists from TV and newspapers don't ask any questions. This is because they care for TEPCO.
They don't even ask whereabouts of the managing director.
They don't even utter a word "Plutonium".
They don't even ask whether reactors have been damaged.
They have ganged up and silenced me by removing me from the TV show as soon as I mentioned "meltdown".
By March this year, I have been presenting a radio talk show called KiraKira on TBS for two years.
During the 15 minutes show, I questioned if TEPCO & FEPC were hiding some information? As soon as the live show ended, my producer came to have a word with me and unexpectedly he ordered me to leave the show by the end of the month.
Just two weeks before that I was asked to continue presenting the show from April onwards. However, it has come to a sudden end.
FEPC, is a sponsor of CS2 TV program "News no shinsou/News depths", had put pressure to make Mr Takashi Uesugi, who only wanted to paint a truthful picture of the nuclear crisis, to leave the program.
However, the TV station rejected such request and instead refused the sponsorship from FEPC.
I have been a presenter of Asahi Newstar's TV program called News no shinsou which FEPC has been a sponsor.
FEPC said, it's concerning the program on Tuesday presented by Takashi Uesugi and Thursday program which is presnted by Yosei.
FEPC said Takashi Uesugi has invited Mr Ryuuichi Hirokawa, Mr Nakagama, a film director who directed Kamigaseki nuclear power plant station documentary film.
Regarding Yosei, FEPC said he invited Mr Takashi Hirose who has reported about Cherynobyl, Next day Mr Yoshii from the Communist Party was invited as a guest speaker.
Because of this, FEPC was unwilling to continue being the sponsor of the program. Therefore, they requested the removal of the presenters.
Then, Ashahi Newstar, Mr Okazaki and TV station manager, refused the request and asked FEPC to quit as a sponsor from April.
I was saved this time.
However, we ended up with no sponsors and therefore we have been broadcasting the program without commercials.
We have no sponsors for the program since April.
The truth of the matter is, this is just for me, there are others who have been put under great pressure.
I don't know for sure if Mr Iwakami is in the same situation but he has been asked to end the program.
That is to say, however it may be truthful, whoever reports different information from the government, FEPC and Press Club (baring in mind many journalists that have been entertained by TEPCO) will all be ordered to be vanished.
I am one of those that have been directly affected by it but this is like a movie, it's a very strange feeling.
But it is actually happening.
And this is the current situation in Japan.