Although one of the most democratic countries in the world, Japan has witnessed a surprising drop in press freedoms according to new rankings. This article by Jiji is published by Japan Times. Here is an excerpt:

Japan dropped to 71st in the 2022 world press freedom rankings by Reporters Without Borders, down from 67th in the 2021 rankings.

The Paris-based press freedom group pointed to “the growing control of large industrial groups, whose influence encourages the self-censorship of journalists and editorial staff” in Japan, as well as other Asia-Pacific countries including South Korea and Australia.

In the 2022 rankings released on Tuesday, Norway maintained its top position for the sixth year in a row, followed by Denmark in second place and Sweden in third. The United States and South Korea ranked 42nd and 43rd, respectively.

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