Reporters Without Borders ranks Japan as the 72nd out of a total of 180 countries in its 2017 World Press Freedom Index. Japan was ranked at 11 in the 2010 index, 22 in the 2011/2012 index, 53 in 2013, 59 in 2014, 61 in 2015 and 72 in 2016.
[The Liberal Democratic Party’s Shinzo Abe took office in late December 2012.]
Takehiko Kambayashi 