Today, globalization—where people, goods, money, and information move across borders—is advancing. Events and phenomena in distant countries that seem unrelated at first glance reverberate around the world, bringing various changes. We are sometimes affected by them, and at other times we affect them. In 2015, the Paris terrorist attacks and armed conflicts in Syria and Iraq were widely reported, but were you aware that other large-scale events were also occurring? Large-scale armed conflicts continued in South Sudan and Yemen, more than 10 million people fell into food shortages due to drought in Ethiopia, and historic democratic elections were held in Myanmar and Nigeria. We who live in an era of globalization cannot simply dismiss these as “someone else’s problem.” However, how much do Japanese news organizations actually convey the state of the world? Focusing on major events and phenomena occurring worldwide, many go unreported by the news media. In other words, international reporting appears to be insufficient in the current situation.

Below, based on data collected by GNV, we examine the reality of the volume of international reporting. We quantify the concerns mentioned above and first analyze the current situation objectively. First, the share of international coverage in the total volume of coverage (※1).

There was no major difference among newspapers: Asahi Shimbun: 10.0%, Mainichi Shimbun: 9.3%, Yomiuri Shimbun: 8.9%. These figures alone do not allow us to declare whether international reporting is abundant or scarce, so we compare them with another indicator. Here, we examine the share of sports coverage (※2) in the total volume of coverage. By comparing it with sports, a form of entertainment, we believed we could clarify how much each newspaper prioritizes international reporting, so we chose it as a point of comparison.

The results are: Asahi Shimbun: 23.4%, Mainichi Shimbun: 23.1%, Yomiuri Shimbun: 21.8%. In each case, the share of sports coverage is more than double that of international coverage. While sports receive frequent coverage, the amount of international reporting is far too small.

For comparison, let us also look at foreign newspapers. At the UK’s Guardian, although the data are from 2009, they kept the share of international coverage at 15%. In addition, Belgian newspapers (three outlets) average 16%. Because the reporting environments and editorial policies of each newspaper differ, the comparison is not perfectly precise. However, given the large gap with these figures, it is clear that the share of international reporting in Japanese newspapers is low.

There is also a marked difference in the share of international reporting on the front page（※3）compared with foreign newspapers. The figures are: Asahi: 8.1%, Mainichi: 8.0%, Yomiuri: 8.4%. Meanwhile, although from 2004, data on major U.S. newspapers show a figure of 17%. The front page is the most visible and is where each newspaper reports the events it considers most important. Thus, even from the perspective of the front page, it is evident that Japanese newspapers do not place much emphasis on international reporting.

As shown above, the current situation reveals that international reporting is not prioritized in Japanese newspapers. As stated at the outset, international reporting is extremely important for those of us living in a global society. Only with a sufficient volume of reporting can we understand global events and phenomena more quickly, accurately, and comprehensively.

First of all, it is important that we turn our attention to that reality.

Footnotes———–

※1：Data are for 2015. All figures refer to each company’s online database. For the definition of international reporting articles, see “GNV Data Analysis Method [PDF].”

※2：We referred to each newspaper’s 2015 online database. We counted all articles that appeared on the sports pages.

※3：We referred to each newspaper’s 2015 online database.

Writer (GNV): Hiroki Shibata
Graphic: Aya Inoue