GHQ press code, imposed 78 years ago today, strictly controlled speech, with 76% of Chugoku Shimbun articles censored, 94 articles found to be in violation
Sep. 19, 2023
by Kazuo Yabui, Appointed Senior Staff Writer, the Chugoku Shimbun
A survey conducted by the Chugoku Shimbun revealed that at least 74,126 Chugoku Shimbun articles had been censored under the press code imposed by the General Headquarters of the Allied Powers (GHQ) immediately after Japan’s occupation was initiated. The censored articles accounted for 76.2% of all articles published by the paper, with 45.1% of that number reporting on the atomic bombing. A total of 94 articles were found to be in violation of the press code. September 19, 2023, marked the 78th anniversary of the start of the press code. The newspaper’s survey revealed the reality of the strict controls, which extended to local newspapers, placed on freedom of speech at that time.
The Chugoku Shimbun’s survey looked at its newspapers archived at the University of Maryland’s Prange Collection, a comprehensive archive of Japanese print publications censored in Japan during the occupation of that country, as well as at materials related to the GHQ. To analyze the censorship situation at that time, the survey collated the publication information in collaboration with the 20th Century Media Information Database of Institute of the Intelligence Studies, a Tokyo-based NPO that compiles information on newspapers and magazines kept at the Prange Collection.
The Prange Collection’s archives include the Chugoku Shimbun’s newspapers published between March 24, 1946, and October 13, 1949. Some articles were found to be missing and, in fact, only about one month of the newspapers published during 1947 were found to be archived. A total of 97,225 articles were confirmed, with 74,126, or around three-quarters of the total, found to have been censored.
Among the archived newspaper articles, 1,505 covered the atomic bombings, of which 679 were censored. Three-hundred-two articles (20.1%) were not subject to censorship, while 524 (34.8%) could not be confirmed, as the newspapers were not in the archives.
Ninety-four articles and one advertisement were found to be in violation of the press code. Among those articles, one involved the atomic bombing. The short article, published on July 22, 1946, reported that the mayor of Hiroshima City had asked U.S. General Douglas MacArthur for permission to request recovery aid for Hiroshima from overseas. The reason for the article’s violation was that it contained a description with an abbreviated name for General MacArthur, “Ma, general headquarters (GHQ).”
Other than articles involving the atomic bombing, documents that had violated the press code included other articles, editorials, and columns about the Tokyo Trials, labor union strikes, and repatriation of soldiers from battle zones overseas.
GHQ censorship ended on October 31, 1949, about four years after the press code had first been imposed. With the San Francisco Peace Treaty, which went into effect in April 1952, Japan’s occupation ended.
Regarding the survey results, Taketoshi Yamamoto, professor emeritus at Waseda University who specializes in media censorship during the occupation, said, “It is highly significant for the Chugoku Shimbun to have delved into the reality of censorship of local newspapers under the press code. I hope that other local newspapers will also work on this issue to fully uncover the extent of censorship of their publications.
Keywords
Press code
The press code, used as a tool to control freedom of speech, was imposed by the General Headquarters of the Allied Powers (GHQ) on September 19, 1945. The code included 10 criteria, including “False or destructive criticism of the allied countries shall be prohibited.” In addition to newspaper and radio broadcasting, the press code covered magazines, movies, telephone communication, mail, and picture-story performances. Inspections of violations were conducted by the Civil Censorship Detachment (CCD) under the GHQ, and censorship continued until October 31, 1949.
(Originally published on September 19, 2023)
A survey conducted by the Chugoku Shimbun revealed that at least 74,126 Chugoku Shimbun articles had been censored under the press code imposed by the General Headquarters of the Allied Powers (GHQ) immediately after Japan’s occupation was initiated. The censored articles accounted for 76.2% of all articles published by the paper, with 45.1% of that number reporting on the atomic bombing. A total of 94 articles were found to be in violation of the press code. September 19, 2023, marked the 78th anniversary of the start of the press code. The newspaper’s survey revealed the reality of the strict controls, which extended to local newspapers, placed on freedom of speech at that time.
The Chugoku Shimbun’s survey looked at its newspapers archived at the University of Maryland’s Prange Collection, a comprehensive archive of Japanese print publications censored in Japan during the occupation of that country, as well as at materials related to the GHQ. To analyze the censorship situation at that time, the survey collated the publication information in collaboration with the 20th Century Media Information Database of Institute of the Intelligence Studies, a Tokyo-based NPO that compiles information on newspapers and magazines kept at the Prange Collection.
The Prange Collection’s archives include the Chugoku Shimbun’s newspapers published between March 24, 1946, and October 13, 1949. Some articles were found to be missing and, in fact, only about one month of the newspapers published during 1947 were found to be archived. A total of 97,225 articles were confirmed, with 74,126, or around three-quarters of the total, found to have been censored.
Among the archived newspaper articles, 1,505 covered the atomic bombings, of which 679 were censored. Three-hundred-two articles (20.1%) were not subject to censorship, while 524 (34.8%) could not be confirmed, as the newspapers were not in the archives.
Ninety-four articles and one advertisement were found to be in violation of the press code. Among those articles, one involved the atomic bombing. The short article, published on July 22, 1946, reported that the mayor of Hiroshima City had asked U.S. General Douglas MacArthur for permission to request recovery aid for Hiroshima from overseas. The reason for the article’s violation was that it contained a description with an abbreviated name for General MacArthur, “Ma, general headquarters (GHQ).”
Other than articles involving the atomic bombing, documents that had violated the press code included other articles, editorials, and columns about the Tokyo Trials, labor union strikes, and repatriation of soldiers from battle zones overseas.
GHQ censorship ended on October 31, 1949, about four years after the press code had first been imposed. With the San Francisco Peace Treaty, which went into effect in April 1952, Japan’s occupation ended.
Regarding the survey results, Taketoshi Yamamoto, professor emeritus at Waseda University who specializes in media censorship during the occupation, said, “It is highly significant for the Chugoku Shimbun to have delved into the reality of censorship of local newspapers under the press code. I hope that other local newspapers will also work on this issue to fully uncover the extent of censorship of their publications.
Keywords
Press code
The press code, used as a tool to control freedom of speech, was imposed by the General Headquarters of the Allied Powers (GHQ) on September 19, 1945. The code included 10 criteria, including “False or destructive criticism of the allied countries shall be prohibited.” In addition to newspaper and radio broadcasting, the press code covered magazines, movies, telephone communication, mail, and picture-story performances. Inspections of violations were conducted by the Civil Censorship Detachment (CCD) under the GHQ, and censorship continued until October 31, 1949.
(Originally published on September 19, 2023)
