Kazuko Ito, center, vice president of Human Rights Now, and other organization officials speak at a news conference. (Ryuichi Kitano)

EDITORIAL: Diversity the key in media firms to combating sexual abuse

（社説）メディアと性被害　声上げる勇気に応えて

With the attention focused on repeated cases of sexual abuse in mass media companies, many victims with scars from the past may be blaming themselves for not raising their voices when the incidents occurred.

These victims also may be still having doubts as to whether anyone would have come to their assistance even if they had said something.

In the wake of the abuse uncovered at Fuji Television Network Inc., Human Rights Now (HRN), a Tokyo-based nongovernmental organization, issued in late May the results of its own investigation into how Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) and the major commercial TV networks have dealt with the issue.

The revelations about sexual abuse by the late Johnny Kitagawa served as the catalyst to widely spread recognition that sexual abuse in media-related companies was a human rights issue.

When the U.N. Working Group on Business and Human Rights visited Japan in 2023 to look into the situation here, it issued a report criticizing media companies for not fulfilling their responsibility to deal with human rights risks.

That led major TV networks to begin compiling human rights guidelines.

But the effectiveness of those guidelines cannot be called sufficient.

The HRN report revealed a lack of specific measures and transparency regarding who handles sexual abuse cases that arise and how that information is shared in order to help the victim.

To not create more victims who must suffer, there will be a need for each and every individual working in the media to squarely face up to the fact that sexual abuse is a human rights issue.

In particular, company management, upon recognizing this as a structural problem of the entire industry, must expediently decide on specific measures to prevent sexual abuse and help victims.

It has been pointed out that at the root of the problem is the homogeneity that exists within the corporate decision-making level.

That has also been pointed out by the U.N. working group as well as the third-party committee that looked specifically at the situation at Fuji TV.

For many Japanese media companies, their core operations target the domestic market.

There are few opportunities to seek out a sense of values matching international standards in such areas as working conditions that respect the individual and employing a diverse staff.

That has led to a trend toward greater homogeneity.

In any organization where people with similar backgrounds and experiences gather, it will be difficult for those at the top to realize sexual abuse has occurred and such an organization internalizes the risk of making light of diverse opinions.

In May, the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association issued a statement saying it would compile proposals to reform the industry’s male-dominated structure as one way of correcting the current situation.

The association must move forward with that action in a certain manner.

There are also many similar structural problems inherent in the newspaper industry as well so we must also reflect on the matter.

Media companies can influence society through their reporting and programs.

It has been said that in the background to the problems at Fuji TV was the thinking that some sacrifice was unavoidable in order to produce interesting programs.

In the same way, newspaper companies also cannot deny allowing gender inequality and long working hours by using as an excuse the goal of providing good reporting.

Organizations without diversity lack the imagination to think about those in various situations and the works and articles created could unintentionally hurt some people.

If we do not face up to the issue now, we will be unable to respond to both the courage of those who do raise their voices as well as the chagrin of those who are unable to do so.

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 11

あのとき、声を上げられなかった。上げても誰も動かなかった――。メディアで相次ぐ性被害に改めて目が向けられるようになり、過去に受けた傷がうずく人も、自分を責める人も多いのではないか。フジテレビ問題を受けて、国際ＮＧＯヒューマンライツ・ナウ（ＨＲＮ）が５月末、ＮＨＫと主要民放局の取り組みを調査した結果を公表した。
　メディアに関わる性被害が人権問題と広く認識されたのは、ジャニー喜多川氏の事案が契機だ。２３年に訪日調査した国連の「ビジネスと人権」作業部会が「日本のメディアは人権リスクに対処する責任を果たしていない」と批判。テレビ各局は「人権方針」の作成などに取り組んだ。
　だが、その実効性は十分とはいえない。ＨＲＮの調査からは性被害が起きたとき誰が担当し、どう情報共有し救済に当たるか、具体性や透明性の乏しさが明らかになった。
　これ以上苦しむ人を生まないために、メディアに関わる一人ひとりが性被害を人権問題として直視する必要がある。特に経営陣は業界の構造的問題と捉え、具体的な防止・救済策を急ぐべきだ。
　問題の根底には「企業の意思決定層における同質性がある」と指摘された。国連作業部会やフジの第三者委員会の言及とも重なる。
　日本のメディア企業の多くは、国内向け事業が中心だ。個人を尊重した働き方や多様な人材の登用といった国際水準の価値観を求められる機会は少なく、とりわけ同質性が高くなりがちだ。経歴や経験が似通った人が集まる組織では、事案が起きても気づきにくく、異質な意見を軽んじるリスクを内包する。
　状況を是正しようと日本民間放送連盟は５月、男性優位の業界構造を改革するための提言を行うと表明した。確実に進めてほしい。
　こうした構造的な問題は、私たち新聞社にも当てはまる部分が多く、自戒しなければならない。メディアは報道や番組を通じて社会に影響力を持つ。フジ問題の背景に「面白いものをつくるには犠牲も辞さない」意識があったのと同じように、新聞社も「良い報道」をめざすことを免罪符に、ジェンダー不平等や長時間労働を容認してきた面は否めない。
　多様性のない組織はさまざまな立場にいる人たちへの想像力を欠き、生み出す作品や記事は意図せず人を傷つけるものになりかねない。
　いま向き合わなければ、声を上げた人の勇気にも、声を上げられなかった人の無念にも応えられない。

(2025年6月11日)