The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun

The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun
Nameplate
Front page of The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun on May 9, 2023
Native name
信濃毎日新聞
TypeDaily newspaper
OwnerThe Shinano Mainichi Shimbun Company
PresidentSōtarō Kosaka
Editor-in-chief
Kazuo Takamori
FoundedJuly 5, 1873 (1873-07-05)
Political alignment
LanguageJapanese
CityNagano
CountryJapan
Circulation355,000 (as of January 2026)
Websiteshinmai.co.jp

The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun (Japanese: 信濃毎日新聞, Hepburn: Shinano Mainichi Shinbun), sometimes shorten to Shinmai (信毎) or Shinano Mainichi, is a Japanese daily newspaper based in Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Founded in 1873 as Nagano Shimpō, it is known for its neutrality.

The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun Company publishes the newspaper. Alongside the daily newspaper, it also publishes the tabloid MG Press in areas around Matsumoto and on its website The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun Digital.

History

The newspaper was founded on July 5, 1873 as Nagano Shimpō (長野新報). It acts as a de facto government gazette of Nagano Prefecture, as the editor-in-chief of the newspaper was an employee of the prefectural government.

It changed name several times such as Nagano Maishū Shimbun (長野毎週新聞), Nagano Shimbun (長野新聞), Nagano Nichinichi Shimbun (長野日日新聞), and Shinano Nippō (信濃日報), before becoming The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun in 1881, in which Shinano refers to the ancient name of Nagano Prefecture. In the 1880s, it briefly became the organ newspaper of Teikokutō but separated in 1886. Zennosuke Kosaka [ja] reorganized the company into a kabushiki-gaisha and declared impartiality in 1890.

In 1922, the evening edition was first published. During the rise of fascism in Japan, the newspaper was heavily suppressed after an editorial by Kiryū Yūyū, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, titled "Laughing at the Kanto Air Defense Maneuvers," (関東防空大演習を嗤う) published on August 11, 1933. It criticized the massive anti-air raid drills held by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service over Tokyo that took place on August 9. The military launched a smear campaign against the newspaper. The company refused to issue an apology and fire Kiryū despite being pressured. Kiryū later left the newspaper.

Following the newspaper consolidation policy of the Empire of Japan, The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun was merged with other newspapers in Nagano Prefecture. In 1991, it integrated am automated typesetting system using artificial intelligence.

The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun merged the weekly tabloids Weekly Matsumoto and Matsumotodaira Town Joho into MG Press (MGプレス) on April 18, 2018. It covers news around Matsumoto and central Nagano Prefecture.

On September 30, 2023, it suspended the publication of the newspaper's evening edition, citing rising costs of raw materials such as newsprint, electricity for printing plants, and transportation costs as the reason. In March 2026, it launched a generative artificial intelligence service that uses its own articles, aimed at being used by companies and local governments in Nagano Prefecture.

Editorial stance

The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun was known for its strict neutrality. It was described as "left-leaning". It is also described by Encyclopedia Britannica Japan and My Pedia [ja] as having "progressive spirit". Tomoki Kaneko described the newspaper as "having a strong liberal editorial stance" and "leading liberal local newspaper". The newspaper is thinks that "Article 13 of the Constitution is just as important as Article 9, and against kokkashugi (Japanese Statism) and war.

It used to support Rikken Seiyūkai. During the interwar period, the newspaper was anti-military.

Contents and features

The newspaper publishes an edition daily. It also runs the website The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun Digital. As of January 2026, it has 355,000 copies in circulation.

Since 2020, the newspaper has been running "Walking Through Constitutional Cases: Between Ideals and Reality" (憲法事件を歩く　理念と現実のはざまで), a series where the newspaper interviews individuals involved in various legal cases concerning constitutional issues, such as the renunciation of war, equality under the law, and the right to a decent standard of living.

On October 10, 2023, to commemorate the newspaper's 150th anniversary, it launched "Soba Shimbun", which is a shinshū soba—a local variety of soba in Nagano Prefecture. The noodle was printed with edible ink, featuring images and text highlighting the "charms of Nagano Prefecture". It is also packaged to resemble a newspaper page.

Notable journalists

Company

Headquarters of The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun

The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun Company is headquartered in Minamiagata-cho, Nagano, Nagano Prefecture. The company has printing press in Nagano, Shiojiri, and Matsumoto. As of October 2026, the current company president is Sōtarō Kosaka. Kazuo Takamori is the current editor-in-chief.

References

  1. 1 2 オピニオン・メディア：憲法訴訟を追う信濃毎日新聞の連載 6年で100回超掲載、元裁判官含む120人取材 [The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun's series following constitutional litigation has been published over 100 times in 6 years, featuring interviews with 120 people, including former judges.]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). August 4, 2026. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
  2. ↑ Missouri, University of (1918). Journalism Series. University. p. 8. Retrieved October 4, 2026.
  3. ↑ "'It was like hell': Japanese journalist arrives home". Al Jazeera. Reuters. October 25, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 会社紹介 [Company Profile]. The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun. December 28, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
  5. ↑ Yoshioka, Masamitsu (1996). "地域新聞の地域求心力" [The Power of Local Newspapers to Foster Community Cohesion]. Annual bulletin of the Institute of Humanistic Sciences (in Japanese). 11. Rissho University: 17. ISSN 0288-7681. Retrieved October 4, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 信濃毎日新聞 [The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun]. Kotobank (in Japanese). Retrieved October 3, 2026.
  7. ↑ Rausch, Anthony S. (2012). Japan's local newspapers: Chihoshi and revitalization journalism. New York: Routledge. p. 44. ISBN 9781136301896.
  8. ↑ De Lange, William (1998). A history of Japanese journalism: Japan's press club as the last obstacle to a mature press. Kent, England: Japan Library. p. 145. ISBN 9781873410684.
  9. 1 2 桐生悠々 軍に屈せず一人の戦い [Yuyu Kiryu: A lone battle, refusing to surrender to the army.]. The Nikkei (in Japanese). August 8, 2010. Retrieved October 4, 2026.
  10. ↑ 信濃毎日新聞が「MGプレス」創刊 折り込み2誌統合、中信エリアの情報届ける [Shinano Mainichi Shimbun launches "MG Press," merging two insert magazines to deliver information to the Chushin area.]. Matsumoto Keizai Shimbun. April 18, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
  11. ↑ 信濃毎日新聞、夕刊休刊へ [Shinano Mainichi Shimbun to suspend evening edition publication]. The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). September 13, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
  12. ↑ 信濃毎日新聞社が生成AI参入 企業や自治体向けに記事活用 [Shinano Mainichi Shimbun Enters Generative AI Market; Leveraging Articles for Businesses and Local Governments]. Nishinippon Shimbun (in Japanese). January 20, 2026. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
  13. ↑ Hata, Masaki (April 25, 2025). "Gendai Nihon no Shinbun to Seiji — Chihōshi, Zenkokushi to Yūkensha, Seijika (Newspapers and Politics in Contemporary Japan: Local Papers, National Papers, Voters, and Politicians), Seijika, by Kaneko Tomoki". Social Science Japan Journal. 28 (2) jyaf023. doi:10.1093/ssjj/jyaf023. Retrieved October 3, 2026. Shinano Mainichi Shimbun and the Chūnichi Shimbun are both described as 'left-leaning'
  14. ↑ Kaneko, Tomoki (2021). 日本の新聞の左右論調：1970年～ 2019年 [Editorial Slant of Japanese Newspapers （1970–2019）]. Japanese Journal of Electoral Studies (in Japanese). 37: 40-41. doi:10.14854/jaes.37.1_33.
  15. ↑ Guide to the Press of Asia - Japan (2 ed.). Foreign Office. July 1923. p. 38. Retrieved October 4, 2026.
  16. ↑ 「信濃毎日新聞デジタル」を開始／独自サービスも ["Shinano Mainichi Shimbun Digital" Launched / Also Offering Unique Services]. The Shikoku Shimbun. December 14, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
  17. ↑ 100部限定そば新聞―信濃毎日新聞 : 「乾麺」に長野の「良い面」を掲載 [Limited-Edition "Soba Newspaper" (100 Copies) – Shinano Mainichi Shimbun: Showcasing Nagano's "Best Aspects" on "Dried Noodles"]. Nippon.com (in Japanese). October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
  18. ↑ 風見章 [Akira Kazami]. Kotobank (in Japanese). Retrieved October 3, 2026.
  19. ↑ "One year on, safety of missing journalist Jumpei Yasuda remains unknown". Mainichi Shimbun. June 22, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2026.
  20. ↑ 山路愛山 [Aizan Yamaji]. Kotobank (in Japanese). Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  21. ↑ 信濃毎日新聞に朝日新聞の印刷委託　長野全域で来年春から [The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun to Print Asahi Shimbun; Service to Cover All of Nagano Starting Next Spring]. The Asahi Shimbun. February 2, 2024. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
  22. ↑ 信濃毎日新聞社人事（1日） [Personnel changes at Shinano Mainichi Shimbun (Day 1)]. Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). Kyodo News. April 2, 2025. Retrieved October 3, 2026.