[Asia_news] Fairfax Closing North Asia Office

[Kent Anderson]

Colleagues:

We have been advised that in December Fairfax, publisher of The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, and Australian Financial Review, is planning to close its Tokyo bureau, which also covers North and South Korea.  This has been reported at Crikey http://www.crikey.com.au/Media/20061011-Shortsighted-Fairfax-pulls-out-of-Tokyo.html 

In response, a number of us have drafted the letter below which we hope to circulate from this coming Friday.

If you would like to be noted as a signatory, please send me an email by 9.00am, Friday, 13 October.

Best regards.

Kent

Dear xx xxxxx

We understand that Fairfax is planning to close its Sydney Morning Herald/Age bureau in Tokyo in December. Given the enormous importance of Japan and the Korean peninsula to Australia, we find this decision extremely concerning and urge you in the strongest terms to keep the bureau open.

To lose the quality Australian reportage provided by Fairfax of a region of such importance would be a great tragedy. Close economic, political, strategic and cultural ties between Australia and Japan mean there is a significant population of Australians who have an abiding interest in developments in Japan.

The decision seems to us particularly extraordinary, coming as it does at a time when Northeast Asia is perhaps the most strategically sensitive region in the world, and when Japan’s relations with its neighbours, particularly North Korea, hold the key to future of that region. The current situation in North Korea and continuing tensions between the two Koreas and Japan have security implications as significant, if not more significant, than those outside our region. Australia and Japan’s increasing cooperation on regional security in places like East Timor, the Pacific, and Iraq further indicates the close political relationship between our countries.

The economic importance of Japan and South Korea to Australia should need no explanation. With the second-largest economy in the world, Japan is Australia’s single largest export destination, accounting for just over 20% of all exports. The Australian and Japanese governments are currently completing a Free Trade Agreement feasibility study that could further deepen our strongest economic relationship. South Korea is our 3rd largest export destination, accounting for almost 8% of exports. The economic importance of Japan and Korea, and the extent of Australian business interests in the region alone demonstrate the importance of maintaining a significant Australian media presence in Tokyo.

The cultural interest, exchange, and attraction between Australia and the Japan-Korea region, moreover, should not be underestimated.  This is evident by the enormous success in 2006 of the Australia-Japan Year of Exchange.  From another angle, the huge number of Korean students studying in Australia not only supports our economy but fosters lasting grassroots exchange between the countries.  As Joseph Nye has shown, the soft power of popular culture has created a young generation in Australia that is keenly interested and connected to developments in Korea and Japan.

We are concerned the closure may also have an unwelcome follow-on effect on other news organisations, and leave a paucity of Australian coverage of Japan and the Korean peninsula. Wire service copy (largely relying on the viewpoints of other countries), freelance and fly-in-fly-out coverage will not make up for the loss of quality coverage, and is counter to Australia’s national interest, and the interests of many of your readers. 

One again, we urge you most strongly to reconsider the decision, and for the sake of your many readers in academia, government, business and the wider community with an interest in Japan and Korean, keep the Tokyo bureau open.

Sincerely, 

Professor Kent Anderson
Dr Tomoko Akami 
Dr Timothy Amos 
Dr Jean-Pascal Bassino
Professor Peter Drysdale
Dr Peter Hendriks
Mr Shun Ikeda 
Professor Rikki Kersten
Dr Narangoa Li
Professor Gavan McCormack
Dr Roald Maliangkay
Professor Tessa Morris-Suzuki
Ms Jane O’Dwyer
Professor John Ravenhill
Associate Professor Hugh Selby
Ms Mayumi Shinozaki
Professor Ken Wells




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Professor Kent Anderson
The Australian National University
ANU College of Asia-Pacific and ANU College of Law
Canberra, ACT 0200
Tel +61-[0]2-6125-5125
ANU CRICOS Code 00120C

Head, Japan Centre, ANU Faculty of Asian Studies
Co-Director, Australian Network for Japanese Law (ANJeL) http://law.anu.edu.au/anjel 
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