davidamcneill.bsky.social
David McNeill
@davidamcneill.bsky.social
1K followers 250 following 130 posts
Professor of Communications at Sacred Heart Uni, Tokyo. Ex-correspondent with The Economist, Independent, Chronicle of Higher Ed., Irish Times etc. I post mainly about the media and politics. Hoping to escape Twitter/X.
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davidamcneill.bsky.social
David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · 1d
"Some of the emperor’s more candid remarks surprised even me. He frequently voiced dissatisfaction with the provisions of Article 9 and repeatedly advocated for the necessity of rearmament through constitutional revision." My interview with Ryuichi Kitano: apjjf.org/2025/10/mcne...
apjjf.org
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davidamcneill.bsky.social
David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · 1d
“The Showa Emperor Repeatedly Advocated For The Necessity Of Rearmament”: I interviewed Asahi journalist Ryuichi Kitano about his new book on Hirohito: apjjf.org/2025/10/mcne...
apjjf.org
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David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · 2d
"For most ordinary Japanese, such views, which have been part of the DNA of Takaichi’s party since 1955, matter far less than bread and butter issues". My piece in The Irish Times: irishtimes.com/world/asia-p...?
Japan’s next prime minister: an Iron Lady - and the myth that helped her win
Right-wing Sanae Takaichi set to be Japan’s first female premier
irishtimes.com
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David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · 3d
Liz Truss is happy that Takaichi Sanae has won, which is not a good sign. x.com/trussliz/sta...
Liz Truss on X: "Congratulations to @takaichi_sanae on becoming Japan's Prime Minister. It demonstrates growing pushback against economic stagnation, excessive migration and the diminution of national sovereignty. Exciting news! https://t.co/n89Xp5SHwF" / X
Congratulations to @takaichi_sanae on becoming Japan's Prime Minister. It demonstrates growing pushback against economic stagnation, excessive migration and the diminution of national sovereignty. Exciting news! https://t.co/n89Xp5SHwF
x.com
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David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · 5d
A string of celebrity scandals has exposed the misogyny at the heart of Japan’s media and entertainment industries. My piece: www.fccj.or.jp/number-1-shi...?
Victim blaming | FCCJ
October 2025 A string of celebrity scandals has exposed the misogyny at the heart of Japan’s media and entertainment industries Igor Prusa speaks at the FC
www.fccj.or.jp
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David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · 6d
Paul Schrader’s Mishima will be screened in public for the first time in Japan, 40 years after it was made: 2025.tiff-jp.net/en/lineup/fi...
【Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters】｜ 38th Tokyo International Film Festival(2025)
Paul Schrader's visually stunning, collage-like portrait of the acclaimed Japanese author and playwright Mishima Yukio (played by Ogata Ken).
2025.tiff-jp.net
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davidamcneill.bsky.social
David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · 6d
Amid the horrors of Gaza, Russia's ongoing invasion of Russia risks being forgotten. Journalists in Japan and around the world have a major stake in opposing Putin's war on democracy, says the head of Ukraine's biggest union of journalists. My piece: www.fccj.or.jp/number-1-shi...
Solidarnist | FCCJ
October 2025 | Cover story Ukrainian media: journalists in Japan and around the world have a stake in opposing Putin's war on democracy At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the National Union ...
www.fccj.or.jp
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davidamcneill.bsky.social
David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · 7d
You can follow the progress of the freedom flotilla live as it nears Gaza here: www.globalsumudflotilla.org/live/?
Livestreams - Global Movement to Gaza
Watch live streams and video updates from the Global Sumud Flotilla sailing to Gaza.
www.globalsumudflotilla.org
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davidamcneill.bsky.social
David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · 9d
Asahi Shimbun: The policies espoused by Kobayashi, Motegi, Hayashi, Takaichi and Koizumi emphasize strengthening restrictions and making it more difficult for foreigners to enter Japan. "LDP must talk about coexisting with foreigners, not xenophobia": www.asahi.com/ajw/articles...
EDITORIAL: LDP must talk about coexisting with foreigners, not xenophobia | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
Detailed discussions based on objective premises and data are needed in debating and assembling policy.
www.asahi.com
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David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · 11d
Japan's Supreme Court has ruled that the government's decision not to reissue a passport to journalist Jumpei Yasuda, who was held captive in war-torn Syria for more than three years, is illegal. Jumpei sued after his passport renewal was rejected. japantoday.com/category/cri...
Top court says passport denial of Japanese journalist illegal
The top court has ruled that the Japanese government's decision not to reissue a passport to journalist Jumpei Yasuda, who was held captive in war-torn Syria for more than three years, was illegal. The Supreme Court's decision, dated Wednesday, upholds lower court rulings in favor of Yasuda, a 51-year-old freelance…
japantoday.com
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David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · 12d
JICA has canceled its "Africa Hometown" initiative because it says the term led to "misunderstandings and confusion within Japan". Doesn't this capitulate to a distorted online narrative and send the message that fake news works? www.jica.go.jp/english/info...?
Announcement regarding the “JICA Africa Hometown” Initiative ｜ News＆Publication - JICA
www.jica.go.jp
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Reposted by David McNeill
rbreich.bsky.social
Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 13d
The richest man on earth owns X.

The second richest man on earth is about to be a major owner of TikTok.

The third richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

The fourth richest man owns The Washington Post.

See the problem here?
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davidamcneill.bsky.social
David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · 13d
Unusually blunt criticism of Israel by a Japanese PM: "Israel's offensive significantly worsens the humanitarian crisis and is absolutely unacceptable". “We condemn it in the strongest possible terms; the suffering of the people in Gaza is "unforgivable": japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/pol...
Japan PM Condemns Israeli Ground Operation in Gaza, Says Recognition of Palestinian State a ‘Matter of When’
<p>NEW YORK — Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba strongly condemned Israel’s ground operation in the Palestinian territory of Gaza during his speech at the U.N. General Debate on Tuesday night and demanded...
japannews.yomiuri.co.jp
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David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · 14d
Even harder than usual to to keep track of the Fox morality compass these days. Violence against our side is unforgivable...but let's bomb the UN (laugh). x.com/RpsAgainstTr...
Republicans against Trump on X: "Fox News Host Jesse Watters: “What we need to do is either leave the UN or bomb it.” https://t.co/EGnbDrvOlK" / X
Fox News Host Jesse Watters: “What we need to do is either leave the UN or bomb it.” https://t.co/EGnbDrvOlK
x.com
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David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · 15d
Takaichi Sanae ignites her campaign to lead the LDP with tales of tourists attacking deer in Nara. On a scale of national priorities, bad behavior by foreigners apparently ranks higher than inflation, poverty, income/wealth disparities, welfare, etc. H/t Jeff Hall: www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/437743
高市早苗氏「外国人が奈良公園のシカ暴行」　突然の主張はどうして？　急伸した政党に乗っかったとの見方も：東京新聞デジタル
奈良公園（奈良市）のシカが外国人観光客に暴行されている──。自民党総裁選が告示された22日、候補者の1人、高市早苗・前経済安全保障担当...
www.tokyo-np.co.jp
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davidamcneill.bsky.social
David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · 19d
BERLIN, Feb. 3 1939.—"Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels today ended the professional careers of five "Aryan" actors and cabaret announcers...on the grounds that “they displayed a lack of any positive attitude toward National Socialism.” www.nytimes.com/1939/02/04/a...
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David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · Sep 7
The ability of the once all-powerful Japanese media to shape political narratives is declining. My review of A Sociology of Journalism in Japan: The Last Empire of the Press, by César Castellvi. academic.oup.com/ssjj/article...
A Sociology of Journalism in Japan: The Last Empire of the Press, by César Castellvi
In November 2014, Saito Motohiko was re-elected governor of Hyogo Prefecture, an apparently unremarkable event with a striking backstory. Saito had been fo
academic.oup.com
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David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · Sep 4
Wow
davidamcneill.bsky.social
David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · Sep 4
The Sanseito party has registered as a lobbying organization in the United States, seeking to "influence government, parliament, or administrative agencies to enact or amend policies and laws for specific interests or objectives". Why? H/t Matsudaira-san.
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davidamcneill.bsky.social
David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · Sep 2
A Japanese court has order ordered Chinese reporter Hu Yue to pay ¥11m in damages for going off-script on NHK to describe the Senkaku Islands, which of course he will never pay. Has anyone bothered asking him *why* he committed career suicide in Japan? www.fccj.or.jp/number-1-shi...
Hijacker or hero? | FCCJ
October 2024 | Cover story A Chinese reporter’s on-air protest during a recent NHK radio program has left Japan’s public broadcaster red-faced and exposed a growing chasm over wartime history A 20-sec...
www.fccj.or.jp
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davidamcneill.bsky.social
David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · Sep 1
More journalists have been killed in Gaza than in the US Civil War, WW I and II, the Korean War & the Vietnam War combined. In this special report, we detail the growing death toll among (mainly) Palestinian journalists and ask, has our silence enabled their slaughter? www.fccj.or.jp/number-1-shi...
Frontline betrayal | FCCJ
September 2025 | Gaza Media Special Report Part I Reporters in Gaza are being killed at an astonishing rate.
www.fccj.or.jp
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davidamcneill.bsky.social
David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · Sep 1
"Our colleagues in the media must take a stand". My interview with Wael Al-Dahdouh, Palestinian journalist and bureau chief of Al Jazeera in Gaza City fccj.or.jp/number-1-shi...
‘Our colleagues in the media must take a stand’ | FCCJ
September 2025 | Gaza Media Special Report Part II David McNeill speaks to Wael Al-Dahdouh, Palestinian journalist and bureau chief of Al Jazeera in Gaza City
fccj.or.jp
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davidamcneill.bsky.social
David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · Aug 27
H/t Eric Johnston: Three Billboards in Sapporo: (1) Trump ("Worst U.S. President in History"); (2) Mio Sugita ("Which Political Party Will Endorse You, Someone Who Discriminates Against the Ainu?" ); (3) LDP`s Shoji Nishida ("You're a Child Who Doesn't Know War. Please Face History Squarely").
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David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · Aug 14
Every August in Japan, many WW2-related stories run in the media. This one tells the story of a former child soldier who still has nightmares about what he saw in Unit 731. His apologies to China are greeted in Japan with abuse and slander. www.asahi.com/ajw/articles...
Former member of Unit 731 fights nightmares, atrocity deniers | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
Chinese media representatives swarmed around a small-statured man as he apologized before a memorial monument on the outskirts of the northeastern city of Harbin last August.
www.asahi.com
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davidamcneill.bsky.social
David McNeill @davidamcneill.bsky.social · Aug 13
Our Freedom of the Press statement on the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif, and four other media workers in an Israeli airstrike on August 10th: www.fccj.or.jp/sites/defaul...
www.fccj.or.jp
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