Filling the gap in media coverage of Japan

We started JBpress in March 2008 because we weren’t satisfied with how Japan is reported. On one hand, the mainstream Japanese media have largely stayed within the comfort zone of the domestic market, shying away from providing news for international audiences, and what news they do offer tends to be factual, constrained and ultimately uninformative. On the other, the leading western media do generally offer insightful analysis and commentary on their own markets, but for many reasons their coverage of Japan is often patchy and superficial.

Committed as we are to the highest ideals of journalism, and believing that Asia’s largest economy deserves better than poor or partial reporting, misinterpreted signals, murky allegiances and poor translation, we realized that we were uniquely placed to fill the gap.

Experienced and sophisticated Japanese media professionals and experts

Our people include seasoned and sophisticated journalists and editors from some of Japan’s top media organizations, such as Japan’s No. 1 business magazine Nikkei Business and leading wire service Jiji Press, as well as an external network of respected academics and experts in all walks of Japanese life, all working under our richly experienced and highly entrepreneurial editor-in-chief Satoshi Kawashima (Biography).

We have a broad and deep understanding of the Japanese economy, business, finance and politics, a network that covers not only Tokyo but also the largely under-reported regions of Japan, and the global experience and awareness to explain Japan and put the news in context for a foreign audience. And unlike the mainstream Japanese media our independence and web-based format give us the freedom to explore each story to the full.

Insightful, in-depth, inside analysis of a changing Japan

Japan’s business and political climate is changing. Many of its major corporations are taking steps to reform their operations and internationalize, and the post-war political consensus seems to be eroding. Our mission at JBpress is to take you inside this changing Japan. This means digging under the surface of the big company-focused and Tokyo-centric reportage we have all become used to, while also casting the spotlight on lesser known and regional businesses and personalities. The regions of Japan contain a treasure trove of excellent SMEs with unique and sophisticated technologies, companies that until now have existed under the media radar. As well as being your source of insight on general business matters in Japan, we’ll take you inside their world.

We are more than just a news provider. Through insightful, in-depth analysis from the inside, we’ll put the story in context and explain what it really means -- and why it matters to you. We’ll take you between the lines in Japan.

A new source of insight for Japan-watchers worldwide

So, if you’re an overseas manufacturer seeking new business partners, a financial market participant examining investment opportunities, a person from government or diplomatic circles, a Japan-watcher or researcher, or a member of the general business community in -- or with an interest in -- Japan, JBpress is the site for you.

You now have a new source of insight on a hitherto unknown Japan, from trusted Japanese insiders. We’ll give you information and views you can’t find anywhere else, not even in the Japanese-language media. And we’ll go beyond the old stereotypes and fill in the gaps to give you the complete picture. What you do from there is up to you…