Reporting on the dark side of Japanese society ft. CNN Asia's Hanako Montgomery

On today's episode we sit down with CNN international correspondent, Hanako Montgomery, who covers breaking news and fascinating stories in Japan & other regions of Asia. We discuss what it's like reporting on breaking news, the importance of proper journalism on society, and the intricacies that go behind covering controversial stories. Hanako has worked for not only CNN but also companies like Vice and NHK, and today she share's her insights and advice for those interested in pursuing journalism both in Japan, and all over the globe. -- 0:00 Intro 0:53 Meet Hanako 1:13 Why come to Japan 2:39 Making a documentary on Japan’s sex industry 6:44 Working at NHK 11:56 Do reporters improvise or use teleprompters 13:19 Covering child abuse in manga 15:14 Dealing with extreme reactions from controversial stories 17:31 What it’s like to interview convicted felons 19:49 Journalist’s responsibility after releasing a story 22:08 What does it mean to be a journalist today 23:55 How is the approach to journalism different in Japan vs the US 25:29 Is Japanese journalism controlled by the Kisha Club 29:14 Winning an Emmy for child abuse story 30:25 Working at CNN as an international correspondent 32:51 What is it like being an international correspondent for CNN 34:03 Difference between Japanese and American media 34:44 Being in the disaster zone of the Noto earthquake 39:56 How to approach victims of disaster for an interview 43:16 How to cover a story with language barriers 44:57 Why care about global problems when there are many local problems 47:00 Commonalities reporting on a diverse range of stories 49:01 Reporting on positive news stories 50:44 The perception of CNN journalists in Japan vs the US 52:38 Competition between news outlets today 53:58 Misconceptions about journalism 56:44 Challenge of attracting younger audiences for news outlets 58:56 Typical day for an international correspondent 1:00:41 What started the journey into journalism 1:01:57 Future direction for career 1:03:22 Advice for becoming a journalist in Japan -- Liked this episode? Check out our interview with J'Nique Nicole, singer-songwriter for games like NieR: Automata, Final Fantasy, Street Fighter, and more!    • J'Nique Nicole: Singing for NieR, black st...   -- Follow Hanako & check out her work:   / hanacocoaa   https://edition.cnn.com/profiles/hana...   / hanakomontgomery   https://x.com/HanakoMontgome1 Follow us on our social media: https://open.spotify.com/show/2YrHVOA...    / @unpackingjapanshorts     / unpacking_japan     / unpackingjapan   https://www.x.com/unpacking_japan   / unpackingjapan   Subscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/