On Feb. 29 a group of veteran journalists held a press conference to protest communications minister Sanae Takaichi's comment that the government could shut down broadcasters if their news programming was deemed to be politically biased. Former Mainichi Shimbun reporter Shuntaro Torigoe said that Takaichi's remarks were "tantamount to a (declaration of) war between political power and the media."

Many believe Takaichi's remark is an attempt to intimidate press outlets the government sees as being critical of its policies. It's interesting that Takaichi was the person who delivered the message since she was once on the other side of the media divide. In the late 1980s and early '90s she was often invited by TV programs to comment on current affairs, so when she ran for public office her name and face were already established in the public imagination.

Torigoe is suspicious of her credentials as an expert, which are based on her stint as a Congressional Fellow. According to Takaichi's resume, in 1987 she went to Washington, D.C., under a special program to work for Rep. Patricia Schroeder, and later wrote a book about her experience, which, in turn, led to the pundit jobs. Torigoe says it isn't clear what she did in Congress. Some media have implied that all she learned under Schroeder was how to operate a Xerox machine.