Mainichi Shimbun - WaiWai Controversy and Cancellation

WaiWai Controversy and Cancellation

The Mainichi Daily News column WaiWai, by Australian journalist Ryann Connell, featured often-sensationalist stories, principally translated from and based on articles appearing in Japanese tabloids. The column carried a disclaimer since September 19, 2002: "WaiWai stories are transcriptions of articles that originally appeared in Japanese language publications. The Mainichi Daily News cannot be held responsible for the content of the original articles, nor does it guarantee their accuracy. Views expressed in the WaiWai column are not necessarily those held by the Mainichi Daily News or the Mainichi Newspapers Co."

The WaiWai is reported on the website of a British quality paper. WaiWai articles are even now cited as true in many websites (taboo subjects like incest and pedophilia in Japan) in many languages, which proves that they have been accepted as true by many writers, researchers and people all over the world.

In April and May 2008, an aggressive anti-WaiWai campaign appeared on internet forums including 2channel. Criticism included "contents are too vulgar" and "the stories could cause Japanese people to be misunderstood abroad."On June 20, a news site J-CAST reported on this issue.

The Mainichi editorial board responded by deleting controversial WaiWai articles and limiting archive access, but the column remained in the Sunday Mainichi. Citing continuing criticism, Mainichi's Digital Media Division shut down WaiWai on June 21. Mainichi also announced it would "severely punish the head of the Digital Media Division, which is responsible for overseeing the site, the manager responsible for the column and the editor involved with the stories." On June 25, Mainichi apologized to MDN readers.

Some advertisers responded to the campaign by pulling ads from Mainichi's Japanese site.

On June 28, 2008, Mainichi announced punitive measures. Connell, who remained anonymous in the announcement, was suspended for three months ("issuing three months' disciplinary leave"). The other involved Mainichi personnel, Yutaka Asahina, Managing Director and Digital Media Division Executive Supervisor; Atsushi Hasegawa, General Manager of the Digital Media Division; Akihiko Isono, Deputy General Manager of the Digital Media Division; and Hiroshi Takahashi, Managing Editor, were either docked 10%–20% salary or "stripped of their titles" for a period of one or two months.

On July 20, 2008, Mainichi released the results of an in-house investigation. Mainichi announced that it would re-organize the MDN Editorial Department on August 1 with a new chief editor, and would re-launch the MDN on September 1 as a more news-oriented site.

Mainichi said, "We continued to post articles that contained incorrect information about Japan and indecent sexual content. These articles, many of which were not checked, should not have been dispatched to Japan or the world. We apologize deeply for causing many people trouble and for betraying the public's trust in the Mainichi Shimbun."

The following is a compilation of article titles that appeared in the WaiWai feature.

• "More moms going down, to ensure grades go up!." Mainichi Daily News. January 6, 2002. Check |Incest in Japan. Full text here
• "'Oh ****!' - Foul-mouthed starlet Sawajiri's career in crisis", Mainichi Shimbun, April 11, 2008. Connell, Ryann.
• "Baby, take off your dress, but you can leave your facemask on!", Mainichi Shimbun, April 25, 2007. Connell, Ryann.
• "Boom or bust: Breast milk ballyhooed to beat the bulge". Mainichi Daily News. April 20, 2007. Connell, Ryann
• "Deserted daughter causes howls when she bolts from 'whipped dog' kennel", Mainichi Shimbun, January 28, 2005.
• "Beach volleyball star and Olympic no-show Miwa Asao pays the bills without the skills", Mainichi Shimbun, May 2, 2008. Connell, Ryann.
• "Durable love dolls turn amazing tricks, but at a fat price." Mainichi Daily News. December 11, 2003.
• "Exposed genitalia makes breakthrough on Japan's silver screens", Mainichi Shimbun, August 5, 2005. Connell, Ryann.
• "Ex-Morning Musume star Ai Kago blazing a trail back to top (using a cigarette lighter)", Mainichi Shimbun, April 18, 2008. Connell, Ryann.
• "Fallen star hits rock bottom after meteoric demise", Mainichi Shimbun, July 6, 2007. Connell, Ryann.
• "Friendless fascists pay high price to be Mr Right", Mainichi Shimbun, November 1, 2007. Connell, Ryann.
• "From AV to TV, Ai Iijima faces the final curtain after doing it 'her way'", Mainichi Shimbun, March 9, 2007. Connell, Ryann.
• "Fumie Hosokawa's triple trouble: single, unemployed, and possibly preggers", Mainichi Shimbun, September 14, 2007. Connell, Ryann.
• "Gigantic J-cup model left lopsided after breast implosion." Mainichi Daily News.April 11, 2007. Connell, Ryann
• "Girls gush over pleasures of new age bathroom relief", WaiWai, Mainichi Shinbun, 2002-07-29. Connell, Ryann.
• "Hikaru Kawamura strives to stop secret skinflick from seeing the light of day", Mainichi Shimbun, February 1, 2008. Connell, Ryann.
• "Iconic gay magazine has revolving door installed in financial closet." Mainichi Shimbun. Connell, Ryann.
• "It might take two to tango, but only one to Tenga", Mainichi Shimbun, December 20, 2007. Connell, Ryann.
• "Japan's biggest male porno star finds his career going flaccid", Mainichi Shimbun, May 28, 2007. Connell, Ryann.
• "Japan's former Pink Princess trades raunchy scenes for rural canteen", Mainichi Shimbun, March 2, 2006. Connell, Ryann.
• "Japan's king of porn gets his hands dirty once again -- on the farm", February 26, 2007. Connell, Ryann.
• "Japan's latest titillating trend: Hiding those huge hooters!" at Mainichi Daily News, December 8, 2006. Connell, Ryann.
• "Japanese bondage documentary 'Bakushi' knot suitable for faint-hearted", Mainichi Shimbun, May 27, 2008. Connell, Ryann.
• "Ladies flash the cash, but don't want the money shot in their dirty DVDs", Mainichi Shimbun, June 5, 2006. Connell, Ryann.
• "Panty sellers roll in the cash by rolling off their soiled skimpies in disabled toilets", Mainichi Daily News, October 23, 2007. Connell, Ryann.
• "Pin-up girls Yinling of Joytoy, Yoko Kamon have intimates bared after MPD file leak", Mainichi Shimbun, June 22, 2007. Connell, Ryann.
• "Porno actor Chocoball Mukai to bite into world of professional wrestling", Mainichi Shimbun, December 28, 2005. Connell, Ryann.
• "Porno queen's mysterious death -- murder or suicide?", mainichi-msn.co.jp, July 11, 2005. Connell, Ryann.
• "Present-hunting parents say domo arigato, Mr. Airboto", Mainichi Shimbun, December 19, 2007. Connell, Ryann.
• "Preserve Japan's tacky shag shacks as World Heritage sites, says love hotel aficionado", Mainichi Shimbun, August 31, 2007. Connell, Ryann.
• "Razor Ramon slices along Japan's cutting edge." Mainichi Daily News, January 22, 2007, Connell, Ryann.
• "Sexy Kano sisters flash the flesh but men denied a peek", Mainichi Daily News, 5 April 2006. Connell, Ryann.
• "Sexy thespian Tomoko Yamaguchi uses booby trap to snare audience for TV show", Mainichi Shimbun, January 11, 2008. Connell, Ryann.
• "Sinking starlets see nothing wrong in stripping to save career." Mainichi Daily News. February 16, 2007. Connell, Ryann.
• "Sourpuss thespian Sawajiri snared in Doppelgang bang scandal", Mainichi Shimbun, February 29, 2008. Connell, Ryann.
• "Surgeon says demise of hymen restoration operations no skin off his, er... nose?", December 4, 2006. Connell, Ryann.
• "The dark side of baseball's brightest star". Mainichi Daily News, Kamiyama, Masuo.
• "The sultry secrets of AV starlets' prolonged careers", mainichi-msn.co.jp, October 22, 2005.
• "Thinking man's idol Rei Kikukawa shows off the boobs as well as the brains", Mainichi Shimbun, April 20, 2007. Connell, Ryann.
• "Top dog Sugita digs her way to freedom", Mainichi Shimbun, June 25, 2005, Connell, Ryann.
• "Weekly hacks expose the dirty secrets of squeaky-clean soaplands", Mainichi Shimbun, May 18, 2007. Connell, Ryann.
• "What to do if a groped gal fingers you." Mainichi Daily News. Kamiyama, Masuo.
• "Yen and the art of Takashi Murakami", Mainichi Shimbun, August 7, 2007. Kamiyama, Masuo.

Tabloid Tokyo series:

Tabloid Tokyo: 101 Tales of Sex, Crime and the Bizarre from Japan's Wild Weeklies. Ryann Connell, Kodansha International

1. Released September,2005 ISBN 9784770028921

2. Released April,2007 ISBN 9784770030603

3. Released September,2008 ISBN 9784770030856