science

Shimbun Akahata

Shimbun Akahata is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Shimbun Akahata rather than just read about it. In short: Shimbun Akahata (Japanese: しんぶん赤旗, lit. 'Red Flag Newspaper') is a daily newspaper published by the Japanese Communist Party (JCP). It was founded in 1928 and currently has both daily and weekly editions.

Key takeaways

Shimbun Akahata belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Shimbun Akahata to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Shimbun Akahata from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Shimbun Akahata (Japanese: しんぶん赤旗, lit. 'Red Flag Newspaper') is a daily newspaper published by the Japanese Communist Party (JCP). It was founded in 1928 and currently has both daily and weekly editions. Revenue raised from selling the paper is used to fund the party's activities.

Background The newspaper was founded in 1928, six years after the establishment of the JCP. It was banned in Japan because it was viewed as subversive, forcing it to operate underground. The newspaper was legalized along with the JCP during the American occupation of Japan. Both daily and weekly Sunday editions are printed. A weekly English edition, the Japan Press Weekly, has been published since November 1956. As of 2018, Akahata has six permanent correspondents in Washington, London, Beijing, Hanoi, New Delhi and Cairo, and previously had many more in other cities throughout the world. Akahata is the centrepiece of a broader publishing enterprise used by the JCP to raise funds for its political activities. 90% of the party's income comes from publications such as Akahata. Akahata reporters are excluded from the kisha club system because the paper is a political party organ. In 2011, a decline in sales caused a financial crisis for the party, causing a monthly deficit of 200 million yen. The JCP held a meeting on 3–4 July 2011 to discuss this problem. It was decided to raise the price of the newspaper and to appeal to all party members to purchase a subscription. As a result, the party returned to profitability for 2011.

Circulation over time The JCP uses Akahata circulation to evaluate its level of public support. In 1959, Akahata had a daily circulation of around 40,000. By the end of 1960, as a result of recruitment drives conducted in conjunction with the 1960 Anpo Protests, circulation soared to around 100,000. By 1970, the newspaper had over 400,000 subscribers to its daily edition, and more than 1 million subscribers to its Sunday edition. In the early 1990s, daily subscribers were over 3 million. However, by 2007, daily circulation had fallen to around 1.6 million, and fell further to around 1.0 million by 2019. As of 2024, it has a circulation of 850,000.

See also List of newspapers in Japan Japanese media

References

Further reading Beckmann, George M.; Okubo, Genji (1969). The Japanese Communist Party 1922-1945. Stanford University Press. De Lange, William (2023). A History of Japanese Journalism: State of Affairs and Affairs of State. Toyo Press. ISBN 978-94-92722-393. Tim, Rees; Thorpe, Andrew (1998). International Communism and the Communist International, 1919-43. Manchester University Press. Scalapino, Robert A. (1967). The Japanese Communist movement, 1920-1966. University of California Press.

External links Shimbun Akahata (in Japanese) Japan Press Weekly

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Shimbun Akahata

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Shimbun Akahata claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Shimbun Akahata before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Shimbun Akahata ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Shimbun Akahata

In research: Shimbun Akahata appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Shimbun Akahata in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Shimbun Akahata is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1928 establishments in Japan, Communist newspapers, Daily newspapers published in Japan, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Shimbun Akahata outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Shimbun Akahata in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Shimbun Akahata means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Shimbun Akahata out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Shimbun Akahata in simple terms?

Why does Shimbun Akahata matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Shimbun Akahata?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Shimbun Akahata.