Fewer Japanese subscribe to newspapers. Yet they trust print media more

Less than half of households in Japan subscribe to a daily newspaper, a level not seen in about 60 years, according to a media tracking report, signalling further evidence of the decline of print as the favoured news medium in the country.

While the report shows most Japanese no longer read newspapers, they still trust legacy media more than online media.

“It is commonly said that two factors have reduced the number of people subscribing to print newspapers,” said Tetsuo Hatanaka, a professor at Ryukoku University’s sociology faculty in Kyoto.