26th Newspaper - 26th Newspaper

A daily newspaper founded in Tokyo on October 26, 1893 (Meiji 26) by Akiyama Teisuke. It was suspended in June 1895 due to financial difficulties, but was resumed on February 1, 1900 (Meiji 33). It ran a series of serial articles on campaigns such as the attack on Mitsui, the defeat of Iwaya Matsudaira of Tengu Tobacco, the abolition of prostitution, and the Mukojima workers' social gathering, and gained popularity among the masses. The paper boasted that it had the "largest circulation in the Orient." However, just before the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, rumors were spread that Akiyama was a Russian spy, and around the time he resigned from his position as a member of the House of Representatives in March 1904, the popularity of the "Niroku Shinpo" began to decline, and the paper was banned, so it was renamed the "Tokyo Niroku Shimbun" on April 15. Thereafter, the paper changed title several times, becoming "Niroku Shinpo" in December 1909, "Niroku Shimbun" in July 1914 (Taisho 3), "Sekai Shimbun" in November of the same year, and "Niroku Shinpo" in February 1913. Akiyama retired in April 1916, and thereafter Akita Kiyoshi, Yano Shinya, and Kawamura Masao took over as editors, but in the Showa era, litany of internal conflicts led to the paper falling into second- or third-rate status, and it ceased publication on September 11, 1940 (Showa 15) as part of the wartime merger. This newspaper is also notable for the number of times it was banned, seized, and even suspended from publication, which was unprecedented.

[Akihiko Sunohara]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

1893年（明治26）10月26日、秋山定輔(ていすけ)が東京で創刊した日刊紙。経営難で95年6月から休刊したが、1900年（明治33）2月1日、岡山の坂本金彌(きんや)の援助を受けて復刊すると、三井攻撃、天狗煙草(てんぐたばこ)の岩谷(いわや)松平退治、廃娼(はいしょう)問題、向島(むこうじま)の労働者懇親会などのキャンペーンを次々紙上に連載、大衆の人気を集め、紙上で「東洋第一の発行部数」と誇っている。しかし日露開戦の直前、秋山がロシアのスパイ（露探(ろたん)）といううわさをたてられ、04年3月衆議院議員を辞職するころから『二六新報』の人気は下降し始め、発売禁止処分を受けたこともあって、4月15日『東京二六新聞』と改題した。以後09年12月『二六新報』、14年（大正3）7月『二六新聞』、同年11月『世界新聞』、18年2月『二六新報』と改題を繰り返した。秋山は11年4月引退、以後、秋田清、矢野晋也(しんや)、川村正夫らが主宰したが、昭和に入ると内紛続きで二、三流紙に転落、40年（昭和15）9月11日、戦時統合で廃刊した。この新聞が受けた発禁、差押え、さらに発行停止の回数は他に類例がないのも特徴である。

［春原昭彦］

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