Leading Japanese Daily Apologizes For Anti-Semitic Book Ad

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Representatives from Sankei Shimbun, one of Japan’s leading daily newspapers, met today with Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean of theSimon Wiesenthal Center, to deliver a letter of apology from the newspaper’s publisher for running a full page advertisement for viciously anti-Semitic books by a writer known for bigotedand anti-Jewish views. On Thursday, Rabbi Cooper protested this ad to Mr. Takamitsu Kumasaka,the publisher of Sankei Shimbun, saying, “The books promote dangerous canards about the Jewish people. In addition to denying the WWII Nazi Holocaust, in which 6 million European Jews,including Anne Frank and 1.5 million Jewish children, the author alleges Jewish control of mass media and manipulates events and economies to further their nefarious goals. Everything fromthe horrors of 9/11 to tragedies of the Tsunami in Japan, and even to the threats from North Korea, are, in one way or another, linked to Jews or the state of Israel.”

Photo: Mr. Katsushi Nakamura, LosAngeles Bureau Chief for Sankei Shimbun; Mr. Nobuyuki Aoki, Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief for Sankei Shimbun; and Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.Photo courtesy Simon Wiesenthal Center

In his reply letter to Rabbi Cooper, Mr Kumasaka wrote,

The Sankei Shimbun considers the Holocaust perpetrated by Nazi Germany to be an unforgivable and hateful crime, and we do not indulge orsupport conspiratorial views of history. We take the complaint seriously and will deal with it strictly and forthrightly. We would like to inform you that the matter was reported in theDecember 6 edition of our newspaper and offered our apology to our readers and to the Jewish community.”

Mr. Kumasaka also wrote that an initial investigation showed a flaw in the advertisement screening procedure, and that they willcontinue to investigate. “Please rest assured that we will do everything possible to prevent recurrence of this type of incident,” he concluded.

Kumasaka’s letter can be found by clicking here.

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