Newsworthy or not? A look at Japanese business and trade media

 By Baley Phelps, AE, Houston


This week more than most, I’ve been feeling the love from the global Edelman network. Here in the Southwest region (Houston, Dallas and Austin) we often call on each other for assistance and expertise. But this week we’ve been doing early morning and late night calls in order to coordinate with our colleagues on the opposite side of the world (…”hold on, are you sure we dial that extra zero?”).

Last night we had a call with Edelman Tokyo regarding the business and trade media landscape in Japan. As a public relations professional (in the crazed and fast-paced agency world), the one—and only—thing that is consistent about my job is the steep learning curve. Our call with Tokyo last night was no different. I work with the media on a daily basis, so I am already well aware that newsworthiness is in the eye of the beholder. Last night, I got glimpse of what exactly that means for my Japanese counterparts.

In the B2B space in the U.S. we often hear about office openings, ribbon cuttings and groundbreakings. It’s not uncommon for organizations to host large media events when they complete construction on their new office building or finish up an expansion project at one of their manufacturing facilities. Stories like these appear in the business and mainstream media multiple times a day (in fact, the search term “ribbon cutting” garnered 3,700 Google News results for the past 24 hours alone). This, however, is not the case in Japan.

In Japan, these media events don’t interest local reporters. Instead, business and trade publications are more attuned to “konshinkai,” informal get-togethers with company executives. These get-togethers include a short presentation followed by the chance to network over drinks and snacks. This is great news for us—clients generally appreciate the opportunity to interface with journalists in a more personal setting and are happy to use a presentation to drive the conversation.
Here are a few more eye-opening facts about the Japanese media:

• In Japan, journalists are most often “generalists” as opposed to “specialists.” Unlike in the U.S., where journalists may spend 10 or more years covering the same beat, Japanese journalists usually rotate between beats every 2 to 3 years.

• Because these journalists are generalists, stories tend to be driven by facts and figures rather than analysis. Consider providing a fact sheet with stats about your company and its impact in Japan.

• On that note, APAC ≠ Japan! Japanese journalists are off put by the assumption that an Asia-Pacific story will be appropriate for a Japanese audience. Companies need to make sure that the story relates specifically to economic impact in Japan before pitching it to the local media.

• Finally, (and this might seem pretty elementary), translate! English-speakers abound in Tokyo, so it may be easy to overlook the language barrier. Don’t. Have all your materials professionally translated and hire an interpreter to assist during interviews and presentations.

With these tips in mind, sensei, you are ready to take on the Japanese media. Thanks for reading and sayōnara!