Report on the 38th SDGs Seminar "Reporting What is Happening on the Ground in Conflict Zones"

2025年4月1日更新

Mr. Jun Hori Shares His Story with Many Photos and Videos

On April 22, 2024, the 38th Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Seminar, “Reporting What is Happening on the Ground in Conflict Zones, ” took place at the International Exchange Plaza, 2nd Floor Multipurpose Hall, featuring journalist Mr. Jun Hori.

During the seminar, Mr. Hori introduced “8bitNews,” a citizen-powered news media platform that he represents, and “Watashi wo Kotoba ni Suru Kenkyujyo (The Institute for Putting Words to Myself),” an organization that focuses on internal communication practices and which he heads. He also shared his personal philosophy on journalism. During the Q&A session at the end of the seminar, participants asked numerous questions, each of which Mr. Hori answered thoughtfully.

Attendees also viewed excerpts from the film “I Will Not Allow Division,” which Mr. Hori directed, starred in, and produced. He explained that his years of reporting revealed a structure in which deep, unavoidable divisions inevitably emerge. The film portrays individuals living in places such as Fukushima, Hong Kong, Syria, and Palestine. We observed Mr. Hori's approach of carefully gathering the raw voices of those directly affected through his reporting.

Numerous questions were raised from the audience

In recent years, the meaning of the two-character word "division" seems to have grown increasingly complex. It now discribes the world as a place of political and cultural friction, ideological conflict, and the isolation of specific groups. In this context, the blood, tears, and cries of people living in this world with us are sometimes conveyed with immense impact, spreading instantly across vast social media and journalism seas. In this era where each of us carries words, how can we believe in a future beyond "division"? Mr. Hori posed the question, "Who creates division?" He emphasized the importance of using smaller subjects rather than larger ones. For example, post-disaster reporting might state, "Many people are suffering in the disaster area." Mr. Hori points out that this is a form of mislabeling. Broad subjects like "disaster victims" can become a mechanism for drawing lines. Therefore, he argued that focusing on individual narratives by using specific names as subjects can prevent division.

It is very easy to express the absurd reality, the conflict with others we cannot understand, and the memory of calamity with just two kanji characters: “分断=division.”　However, I feel compelled to repeatedly reflect on the fact that using this term to describe events carries a certain violence toward those directly affected, and that the unspoken emotions and thoughts within each individual's heart are the true reality.

（N.H., junior student, Department of Liberal Arts and Humanities, Faculty of Letters and Education）

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