Japan's Local Newspapers: Chihoshi and Revitalization Journalism (Routledge Contemporary Japan Series)

Japan is one of the world's most literate societies and its national newspapers are the most read newspapers in the world. Japan also has a vibrant local newspaper sector. This book examines Japan's local newspapers. It charts how they have developed, describes their current nature, and discusses the kind of journalism from which they are formed. It demonstrates how local newspapers contribute greatly to the development of local communities, providing many examples of newspapers' civic role. It compares Japanese local newspapers to the current state of newspapers worldwide, and concludes by assessing how Japanese local newspapers are likely to develop in future.