EDITORIAL: 1987 assault on Asahi Shimbun forever a stain on our society | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis asahi.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from asahi.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
As this year’s Constitution Day on May 3 rolls around, we remain firmly committed to reject any form of violent attacks against freedom of speech and expression.
The current Asahi Shimbun Hanshin Bureau in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, which was rebuilt in 2006 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
May 3 marks the 34th anniversary of a shooting incident at The Asahi Shimbun s Hanshin Bureau in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, that left one reporter dead and another seriously injured.
The statute of limitations in the case, and seven other related or similar terrorist incidents apparently perpetrated by a group with ultra-rightist leanings, expired in 2003. The National Police Agency designated the series of crimes as “Wide Area Important Designated Case No. 116” for a nationwide coordinated investigation but failed to identify the attackers.
The shooting was an attempt to muzzle free speech through violence and constituted a serious attack on democracy itself. We remain firmly committed to our journalistic mission and will not be intimidated by such despicable acts.