“Den club’s members have ideas and principles in common”

Mykola KULINYCH, rector of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, expert on international affairs of the Asia-Pacific region, former ambassador of Ukraine to Japan:

“Even though the Japanese lead the world in the development and use of IT, Japan has also the world’s largest print media industry. For example, the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper has a circulation of 20 million copies, publishing morning and evening editions daily. Every copy finds at least three readers. In addition to family reading, newspapers can be exchanged at public transport stops. That is, the Japanese generally do not throw a newspaper away once read, because special shelves for print media sharing are available. Having read their newspaper, people exchange it for another. Both leaving a copy on such a shelf and taking it from there are acceptable. I   saw it done a lot.

“Why print media play such an important role in Japan? Why, despite the popularity of the Internet and TV, have newspapers kept their position as the main source of information for the Japanese, with about 80 percent of them reading newspapers, if statistics are to be believed? The answer is simple: they have respect for the written word. Their mentality has in-built appreciation for newspapers, because it is believed that reading characters on paper is both a better fit for a respectable person and easier than the online alternative. In a word, the written word has special authority with the Japanese.

“Some people in Ukraine, on the other hand, mistakenly insist that social modernity entails rejection of all things old. Therefore, they refuse to read print media, seeking a simple and clear style online. Some readers mistakenly believe that the Internet offers them answers to all questions, provided by young contributors full of advanced knowledge. Others lost their trust for newspapers back during the Soviet era. This distrust has resulted from the ruling party employing the press as their tool, likely the most important of all.

“I call this condition the zero perception inertia. We will certainly overcome it. I believe in the rebirth of the written word, as this media is not just about information, but a certain style as well. For example, I read Den, and it feels like membership of a club, because I respect other regular readers and the newspaper’s creators. It is similar to a club of like-minded people who have common interests and common vision of the future, their own and their country’s. It is a case of benign corporatism, much stronger than belonging to a club with common dress code or diet preferences. Den club’s members have ideas and principles in common which unite them. Unity of ideas is much more valuable and useful than alternatives.”