The Asahi Shimbun

This is a big newspaper from Japan.

It is very old. It started a long time ago in 1879. At first, it only had four pages. It was small and had pictures.

Many people read it today. It is one of the largest papers in the world. It helps people learn about the news. It is a very important paper for Japan.

The Asahi Shimbun is a famous daily newspaper in Japan.

It is one of the oldest papers in Asia. It began in Osaka on January 25, 1879. At first, it was a small paper with four pages. Each copy cost only one sen. That is a tiny amount of money.

Today, it is a very large company. It is one of the five biggest newspapers in Japan. Its morning edition reaches 3.26 million people.

The company has its main office in Osaka. It is a family business. The Murayama and Ueno families still own and run it. The paper is known for its political views. Many people call it a left-leaning paper. This means it often supports new ideas for society. It also likes to report on big political secrets. Sometimes, the paper makes mistakes. In 2014, it had to fix stories about the past. It also faced criticism after a nuclear disaster in 2011. To fix this, it made a special group for deep reporting. This group helps them find the truth.

The Asahi Shimbun is a very important daily newspaper in Japan.

It is one of the oldest newspapers in all of Asia. Many people call it a newspaper of record for Japan. This means it is a main source for history and facts. It is one of the five largest newspapers in the country.

The company is a large media group. Its main headquarters are located in Osaka. It is a family business. The Murayama and Ueno families still own and control it today.

This newspaper works by sharing news with millions of readers.

It has two different versions for people to read. The morning edition is very large. It has a circulation of 3.26 million copies as of June 2025. The evening edition is smaller with 892,295 copies. This makes it the second largest newspaper in the world for print. However, its digital size is smaller than some global papers. Many people read it on screens now. It also uses a special unit for deep reporting. This group is called the Tokubetsu Hodobu. It helps the paper find independent stories.

The history of the paper began a long time ago. It started in Osaka on January 25, 1879. The first version was a small four-page paper. It was illustrated and sold for one sen. That is only one hundredth of a yen. At first, only about 3,000 people bought it. Three officers started the paper with a staff of twenty. Their names were Kimura Noboru, an owner, and Tsuda Tei. They worked in a place called Minami-dōri in Edobori. The paper grew steadily over many years.

Many famous people have been part of its story. In 1907, the writer Natsume Sōseki joined the Tokyo office. He was a very famous author at that time. In 1943, the government stopped the paper from publishing. This happened after a critical essay was written. Later, the leaders resigned to take responsibility for wartime choices. In 1949, the paper began a famous cartoon called Sazae-san. This cartoon became a landmark in Japan. The paper also worked with the International Herald Tribune. This partnership lasted from 2001 until 2011.

The Asahi Shimbun has a specific way of looking at the world. It is often called a left-leaning newspaper. This means it usually supports progressive ideas for society. It often reports on big political scandals. The paper also supports the postwar Constitution of Japan. It specifically supports Article 9, which says Japan should not use war to solve problems. Sometimes the paper faces hard jobs and mistakes. In 2014, it had to fix old stories about wartime history. It also faced criticism after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. The paper continues to be a major part of Japanese life.

The Asahi Shimbun is a major Japanese daily newspaper.

It is one of the oldest newspapers in Asia. Many historians call it a newspaper of record for Japan. This means it is a primary source for the nation's history. It is one of the five largest newspapers in Japan.

The company is a large media conglomerate. Its registered headquarters are located in Osaka. The business is privately held by two families. The Murayama and Ueno families maintain ownership and control.

The newspaper reaches millions of people through print and digital media. As of June 2025, its morning edition had a circulation of 3.26 million. The evening edition had a circulation of 892,295.

This makes it the second largest newspaper in the world by print circulation. However, its digital reach is smaller than many global papers. This includes major outlets like The New York Times. The company operates as a massive system to deliver news daily.

The history of the Asahi Shimbun began in the late 19th century.

It started in Osaka on January 25, 1879. The first edition was a small, four-page illustrated paper. It cost only one sen per copy. One sen is one hundredth of a yen. At the start, it had a circulation of about 3,000 copies. Three founding officers led a small staff of twenty. Their names were Kimura Noboru, Tsuda Tei, and an owner.

As the years passed, the newspaper grew and changed. In 1881, it moved to an all-news format. It also gained Ueno Riichi as a co-owner. In 1888, the Tokyo Asahi Shimbun began publication. This office was located in the Kyōbashi district. In 1907, the famous writer Natsume Sōseki joined the staff. He was a very popular novelist at the time. In 1908, the Osaka and Tokyo offices merged. This created the unified Asahi Shimbun Gōshi Kaisha.

The newspaper faced many challenges during the war years. In the late 1930s, it supported the wartime government. Editor in Chief Taketora Ogata led this era. Many staff members were part of political think tanks. Some members were also part of the Genyōsha. The Genyōsha was an ultranationalist group. In 1943, the government stopped the paper from publishing. This happened after a critical essay was published. After the war ended, many executives resigned. They did this to take responsibility for their wartime actions.

The Asahi Shimbun is known for its specific political stance. It is often described as left-leaning. Some call it the intellectual flagship of Japan's political left. The paper often reports on major political scandals. It supports the postwar Constitution of Japan. Specifically, it defends Article 9. This article bars the use of war to settle disputes. The paper has also opposed changes to anti-war laws. This stance sometimes leads to criticism from political conservatives.

The newspaper has also dealt with significant public controversies. In 2014, it retracted stories about "comfort women." These were women coerced into service for the military during the war. The paper admitted that past testimonies were discredited. However, it still maintains that coercion occurred. In 1989, a reporter defaced a coral reef near Okinawa. He then wrote a fake story about it. This event is known as the coral article hoax. Additionally, the paper faced criticism after the 2011 Fukushima disaster. It was accused of following the government narrative too closely. In response, it created the Tokubetsu Hodobu. This is a Special Reports Section for independent investigation.