As far as Japanese technology goes, some say it is unparalleled. Japan seems to have excelled far more than any other nation in history in this area.
But when it comes to the media, what has Japan done? Paper! In the year 610 A.D. China transferred its form of paper — still primitive at the time — to Japan. The Japanese then transformed paper by using bast fibres from the mulberry tree.
In 1615 newssheets printed from engraved inked tiles — “kawaraban” — began to appear in Japanese societies. Gossip, scandal and sensationalism could be found on them. It would be over two centuries later that the news would be formalized in Japan.
In 1871 Japan began its first daily newspaper — about 150 years after the first English language newspaper was published. It was called the “Yokohama Mainichi Shimbun.”
Although Japan may not have contributed much to our modern media and press, it can still be seen as a revolutionary nation. Considered by many as the world’s first true novel, The Tale of Genji was written by a Heian court lady in the 11th century A.D.
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