As 2019 begins – both the final year of Japan’s Heisei Era and the first of the as-yet unnamed new era – Tokyo Review is delighted to announce the beginning of a collaboration with the Asia Pacific Initiative that will allow the site to expand its remit, improve its editorial output and grow its network of contributors and collaborators.
Since our launch in July 2017, Tokyo Review has essentially been a hobby for its editors – with no source of income, operating costs have been paid out of pocket and articles were graciously submitted by our contributors without remuneration. The number of readers and followers we have gained, and the rapidly growing traffic to the articles we have published, has both been reassuring and has been reward enough for our efforts to this point.
While no one involved with Tokyo Review ever expected it to become a money maker, we had always hoped that we would be able to secure a source of income – allowing us to pay a competitive stipend to our contributors, cover our costs, and develop new tools and resources to deepen our coverage. Our moderate success thus far has allowed us to be somewhat picky – we had no intention of sacrificing editorial freedom or intellectual independence and any collaboration which demanded such changes was a nonstarter.
The collaboration we are announcing today with the Asia Pacific Initiative is everything we had hoped for from a partnership. Tokyo Review and AP Initiative share core common goals and perspectives; we believe that in-depth, evidence-based writing about Japan can elevate the discussion of the country beyond crude stereotypes and ideological clichés – and in the process offer important insights and lessons to the world. Moreover, we share a belief that supporting and encouraging the work of younger writers and researchers is vital to promoting an understanding of Japan and its place in the world.
Tokyo Review‘s collaboration with AP Initiative will allow us to develop (and remunerate) a network of the brightest young minds thinking and writing about Japan today – but the partnership is not merely financial. Tokyo Review will be working directly with AP Initiative’s uniquely experienced and qualified staff, including AP Initiative chairman and former Asahi Shimbun editor-in-chief Dr. Yoichi Funabashi, to further develop the site and broaden our editorial coverage into new fields such as technology and culture.
Some of this new coverage will hopefully become apparent in our upcoming articles, with an even more diverse range of features in development and be on the way in the coming year. Most of all, we’re looking forward to being a constantly improving resource for our audience and a worthy outlet for rising Japan hands to share their work and insights. Tokyo Review may effectively remain a hobby for its editors, but it’s one that will now be able to provide even more value to both its readers and its contributors.
You can find more information about Tokyo Review’s background, objectives and staff on our updated About Us page.
