Japan has 47 prefectures, and each has its own privately owned and operated newspaper. This was one of the demands of General Douglas MacArthur during America's post-war occupation of Japan. The idea was that the proliferation of papers would inspire free and open debate on public matters among the Japanese people and keep them from falling back under the spell of cliques with militarist aspirations.
日本有 47 個縣，每一個縣都有自己的民營報紙，這是二次大戰日本戰敗、被美國託管期間，聯軍統帥麥克阿瑟強制要求的，為的就是希望日本人民能夠在報紙的「啟蒙」下，更自主、更有自覺地討論公共事務，而不要再被少數的軍國主義野心份子輕易煽惑。