The Asahi Shimbun has protested against the Chinese government over an alleged beating of one of its reporters by police officers. The Japanese Consulte General in Shanghai said that it would support the protest if the allegations are proven.
Shanghai Bureau correspondent Atsushi Okudera, 41, was covering the mass demonstration against Japanese company Oji Paper Co.’s plans to construct a pipeline to pump wastewater into the sea. The crowd turned violent, prompting the police to retaliate with force. Okudera was taking photos of the scene when, the paper says, 15 to 20 officers pushed him to the ground and kicked him in the head and body. His camera was seized with his press ID.
Tokyo-based international news editor Tsutomo Watanabe protested to the Chinese government and demanded an apology along with Okudera’s camera and press ID. Watanabe said: “We cannot excuse it because it is extremely malicious obstructive behavior against the reporter’s legitimate news gathering activity.”
