After resigning from a major Japanese newspaper due to a controversial retraction, Watanabe founded Tansa, a nonprofit journalism organization that has impacted public policy despite its small size.
Makoto Watanabe: From Major Newspaper to Nonprofit Investigative Journalism in Japan
Makoto Watanabe: From Major Newspaper to Nonprofit Investigative Journalism in Japan
Journalist Makoto Watanabe breaks free from traditional media norms by founding a nonprofit dedicated to deep investigative reporting.
Makoto Watanabe has always recalled a pivotal moment that altered his career path. The day his previous employer, one of Japan’s most significant newspapers, retreated on a crucial investigative story about the Fukushima nuclear disaster marked a point of no return for him. The Asahi Shimbun had reported that workers had abandoned the plant against management orders, a claim that faced backlash from various media and government allies who alleged that the paper misrepresented the situation. After initial support for the story, the newspaper dramatically changed its stance during a press conference and retracted the piece. Following this incident, the paper dismantled the investigative team behind the report, urging reporters to adopt a more conciliatory approach towards authorities.
This prompted Watanabe to make a rare decision in Japan’s media landscape: he left his prestigious job. Uncommonly bold, he went a step further by launching Japan’s first nonprofit organization dedicated to investigative journalism. "The newspaper prioritized maintaining its privileged connections over informing its audience," Watanabe, now 50, shared. "I envisioned a media outlet that wouldn’t cave in."
Fast forward eight years, his organization, the Tokyo Investigative Newsroom Tansa—translated as “in-depth investigation”—is modest but is starting to make a significant impact. As editor-in-chief, Watanabe oversees just two full-time reporters, a volunteer, and an intern, all working in a modest second-floor office in an unremarkable building in Tokyo.
However, Tansa has gained recognition, recently publishing reports exposing a decades-long practice of forced sterilizations of mentally disabled individuals, which prompted the Japanese government to issue a formal apology and enact a compensation law for victims. Furthermore, Japan's public broadcaster, NHK, has entered into an agreement to utilize content produced by Tansa, signaling a breakthrough for independent journalistic initiatives in Japan.
This prompted Watanabe to make a rare decision in Japan’s media landscape: he left his prestigious job. Uncommonly bold, he went a step further by launching Japan’s first nonprofit organization dedicated to investigative journalism. "The newspaper prioritized maintaining its privileged connections over informing its audience," Watanabe, now 50, shared. "I envisioned a media outlet that wouldn’t cave in."
Fast forward eight years, his organization, the Tokyo Investigative Newsroom Tansa—translated as “in-depth investigation”—is modest but is starting to make a significant impact. As editor-in-chief, Watanabe oversees just two full-time reporters, a volunteer, and an intern, all working in a modest second-floor office in an unremarkable building in Tokyo.
However, Tansa has gained recognition, recently publishing reports exposing a decades-long practice of forced sterilizations of mentally disabled individuals, which prompted the Japanese government to issue a formal apology and enact a compensation law for victims. Furthermore, Japan's public broadcaster, NHK, has entered into an agreement to utilize content produced by Tansa, signaling a breakthrough for independent journalistic initiatives in Japan.
