Hated, criticized, admired, Tsuneo Watanabe has always aroused passions. The leader of the Yomiuri media empire, nicknamed « Dieu » by his subordinates and « Nabetsune » by the general public – a nickname he hates – can boast of having long influenced decision-making in Japan. The press boss, who worked at his office in Otemachi, the heart of the Japanese press in Tokyo, until his hospitalization in early December, died of pneumonia on Thursday, December 19, in the capital. He was 98 years old.
His death caused a reaction throughout the Japanese political world, starting with the Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, who deplored the loss of a “great journalist”. Yoshihiko Noda, head of the Constitutional Democratic Party (PDC, opposition), who attended him when he was prime minister in 2011 and 2012, recalled “the richness of his personality”. “As a man of letters and media, he greatly influenced post-war Japan. A period ends with his death”added former head of government Fumio Kishida (2021-2024).
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