Reporters Without Borders placed Japan 62nd among 180 countries and regions in terms of press freedom in its annual global ranking announced Thursday, a slight improvement from last year that moved it above the United States.
The United States tumbled seven ranks from 57th in 2025 to hit 64th place, while Japan moved up from 66th. Norway has topped the Paris-based group’s list for the last 10 years.
In East Asia, Taiwan placed 28th and South Korea 47th. In contrast, China and North Korea were near the bottom at 178th and 179th, respectively. Hong Kong ranked 140th.
Reporters Without Borders states that in Japan, “the principles of media freedom and pluralism are generally respected,” but factors such as political pressure and gender inequality “often prevent journalists from completely fulfilling their role as watchdogs.”
The group also criticizes the country’s ubiquitous “kisha club” system, in which reporters assigned to particular organizations form their own groups, as an ongoing hindrance to information access.
Press conferences with officials are often limited to club members, it notes, saying this “selective access reinforces hierarchies within the media organizations and can encourage self-censorship.”
Reporters Without Borders describes the United States as undergoing a “significant and prolonged decline” in press freedom, with the return of Donald Trump as president in January 2025 “greatly exacerbating the situation.”
The group highlights Trump’s efforts to censor government data, dismantle public broadcasters and silence critics by weaponizing government agencies as particularly harmful to press freedom as it continues to deteriorate in the country.
According to the group, its analysis shows that press freedom is at a 25-year low globally as the majority of countries surveyed have now fallen into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for the first time.
© KYODO
