Former Weekly Bunshun Editor-in-Chief Hirotsugu Suzuki Unveils Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of Nagata-cho Scoops
How did he deal with Hosokawa Morihiro, Kajiyama Shizuroku, Suga Yoshihide, and others?
Exclusive Scoop Comes to Fruition
In 1997, the collapse of Yamaichi Securities and Hokkaido Takushoku Bank revealed massive hidden bad debts, which had been concealed by the Ministry of Finance (then) and banks, plunging Japan into an unprecedented financial crisis.
“In such a situation, I was commissioned to write an article titled ‘Seiroku Kajiyama’s Emergency Proposal: A Scenario for Revitalizing the Japanese Economy,’ which appeared in the December 4, 1997 issue of Weekly Bunshun, spanning ten pages at the beginning of the magazine. This issue sold 710,000 copies and was sold out, and, unusually, newspapers and television followed up with additional coverage.”
The moment when the “created scoop” that gained Kajiyama’s trust came to fruition was a significant achievement.
Having retired from Bungei Shunju in June this year, Suzuki has established a small think tank. Key figures from the political and business worlds visit it day and night.
“Being able to create articles while figures like Kajiyama, Morihiro Hosokawa, Naoto Kan, Shinzo Abe, and Yoshihide Suga were at the heart of political movements has been a great honor for me as an editor.”
A quarter-century ago, Kajiyama warned Suzuki that Japan was on the brink of becoming a declining nation. To prevent this prophecy from coming true, Suzuki continues to make policy recommendations.
Click here to purchase “Bungei Shunju to Seikyosei Keikaku” (Literary Shunju and the Idea of Government) ( Kodansha).
From the July 19, 2024 issue of FRIDAY
PHOTO： Shinji Hamasaki
