The Yomiuri Shimbun published its first issue in 1874 as Japan had just begun its transition from the Edo period (1603-1867) to a modern nation-state.

Many people were illiterate at the time, and the paper's founders, including Takashi Koyasu, debated how to create a newspaper that was easy to read and approachable. They came up with the name "Yomiuri Shimbun," which retained the image of the traditional kawara-ban, or block-printed news sheets, that were read aloud (yomi) as they were sold (uri).

Articles were annotated with furigana reading aids, and efforts were made to both report daily events and meet the demand for lifestyle information and entertainment through features such as advice columns and serialized novels.

This spirit of innovation was carried on in the creation of a radio guide (later a TV guide) and, more recently, in the enlargement of font sizes to accommodate Japan's graying population. The Yomiuri Shimbun has overcome two crises that destroyed its headquarters -- the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 and the Great Tokyo Air Raid in 1945 -- and continued to develop over 150 years. The driving force behind this has been its dedication to creativity and innovation for the sake of its readers.

In addition to the newspaper, the company has been involved in various initiatives that continue to this day, such as organizing the world's first ekiden -- a long-distance road relay race -- establishing the Yomiuri Giants professional baseball team and inviting Babe Ruth and other legendary players from the U.S. Major Leagues to play games in Japan. These efforts in sports, culture and entertainment are all part of the company's innovative spirit.

The role of a newspaper is not only to report facts but also to express the opinions of the newspaper company through editorials. In 1887, a young man named Sanae Takata, who later became the president of Waseda University, was appointed as editor-in-chief. Takata established the editorial column, laying the foundation for the paper's reputation as a leader in this area.

During the turmoil after World War II, The Yomiuri Shimbun faced labor disputes influenced by the Soviet Union and elsewhere. Drawing on this difficult experience, then President Tsunego Baba personally drafted the Creed of The Yomiuri Shimbun, which established fairness and friendship, freedom and democracy, and the defense of peace as the company credo.

Building on this philosophy, the current creed was established on Jan. 1, 2000, under the initiative of then President and Editor-in-Chief Tsuneo Watanabe. It pledged to earn readers' trust through freedom, humanism, internationalism and the responsible expression of views, and serves as the foundation for The Yomiuri Shimbun's reporting and editorial policies.

With the advent of the digital age, anyone can freely disseminate information. This is a welcome development, but it has also led to the spread of irresponsible false information and defamation, which can hurt people and even lead to crime. This is an era in which reliable journalism and speech are needed more than ever. We feel that the role of The Yomiuri Shimbun has become even more important.

Circulation is declining with the rise of digital media, and newspaper companies are all facing difficult business conditions. However, The Yomiuri Shimbun is advancing bold initiatives based on the philosophy of being a "newspaper company beyond a newspaper company," which was proposed by our mid-career and young employees to be included in the Yomiuri Conduct Guidelines. With this philosophy, we have diversified our business ventures to sports, culture, entertainment and new economic media for companies, all of which would bolster our core business of newspaper publication. I am heartened to see that our founding spirit continues to thrive in every section in the company.

Shoichi Oikawa
Representative Director
Chairman of the Board
Editor-in-Chief
International Operations
Editor-in-Chief of The Japan News
The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings

Director
The Yomiuri Shimbun