Photo/Illutration Part of the telecommunications ministry documents recently made public (The Asahi Shimbun)

Kumagusu Minakata (1867-1941), who was a biologist and an ethnologist, was also a man of extraordinary ability.

Minakata was staying in Britain when he ran out of pages in his favorite diary book, according to “Kumagusu Gaiden” (Kumagusu anecdotes) by Imao Hirano (1900-1986). He asked an acquaintance in Japan to send him a new book, which he received 10 months later.

He then recalled his doings of the past 10 months and filled every page, not missing even one day.

Sanae Takaichi, the state minister in charge of economic security, must have a memory as photographic as Minakata’s.

Recently grilled in the Diet concerning her comments of eight years ago concerning the Broadcast Law that was quoted in an official document of the telecommunications ministry, Takaichi was able to unequivocally declare, despite the passage of eight long years: “Impossible. The document was fabricated.”

However, the document also states that a ministry official explained the situation twice to Takaichi, who was telecommunications minister at the time.

And when the official explained it to her for the second time, the document continues, the official was quoted as lamenting, “The minister did not remember much about what had been explained to her the first time.”

Well, well, how very strange.

This “battle” over who’s telling the truth has certainly grabbed my attention. But I must caution myself as this is not what the real issue is about.

The real issue is this: The prime minister’s office wanted to do something about a news program it didn’t like and so decided to arbitrarily change the interpretation of “political fairness” under the Broadcast Law.

In fact, an official document reveals unexpurgated outbursts such as, “There is something definitely wrong about (Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Inc.’s) Sunday Morning news program,” “I don't like (famed TV program host) Ichiro Furutachi,” and “What needs to be corrected must be corrected.”

Obviously, these were the honest feelings of then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and members of his administration’s inner circle. And if they believed they were exercising their right to free speech, that certainly tells the level of their understanding of the concept.

It is a fact that the government changed the interpretation of “political fairness,” although it still insists it never did.

I suppose the government believes it can keep up this farce because it believes nobody will remember it anyway.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 17

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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