As media trust crumbles in Japan, online buzz booms

Short, provocative clips and influencers now attract the biggest audiences, writes Tamaki Shinzato

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This file photo shows Japanese teenagers using their mobile phones. AFP

(AFP)

In 2023, there was a major shift in Japan’s media landscape. Weekday internet usage time surpassed television for the first time across all age groups.

The gap only widened in 2024, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

Younger people in Japan are less exposed to traditional media like TV and newspapers. Even though the Yomiuri Shimbun is still the world’s highest-circulation newspaper, readership of its morning edition declined from the over 10 million copies it proclaimed in 2010 to 6.2 million in 2023.

On YouTube, meanwhile, users surpass 80% across all age groups, and slick “explainers” can sometimes outshine legacy media professionals. On X, users exceed 40% and opinions far outpace any fact-checking.

The new media landscape has implications for not only traditional journalism, but Japanese democracy, observers have stated. In late July, Japanese manga artist Mayumi Kurata criticised discriminatory language directed at an adult film actress on X. The post went viral, resonating with people caught between the speed of the internet and the trust once placed in traditional outlets. Her words cut to the heart of a growing dilemma: in a world where anyone can be a publisher, how should people stay informed, and what role, if any, should legacy media still play?