Asahi media bias and reliability
Media Bias/Fact Check places Asahi as leaning left. We have seen it on 30 published stories of ours.
The short answers
Is Asahi biased?
Media Bias/Fact Check places Asahi as leaning left. An outlet rating describes a broad pattern in its output, not every article it publishes.
Is Asahi left or right?
Media Bias/Fact Check places Asahi as leaning left. In the three-way grouping used on story pages, that puts it under Left.
Is Asahi reliable?
The factual-reliability assessments we hold for Asahi are Media Bias/Fact Check: High factuality. These are outlet-level assessments, not a guarantee that every report is correct.
What Asahi has been covering
Our account of each story, written from every outlet that ran it, with Asahi’s own report linked underneath.
Patrick Stewart, the British actor famous for his roles as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in 'Star Trek' and Professor Charles Xavier in 'X-Men', has died at the age of 86. His death was announced by his family.
Asahi reported it asPatrick Stewart, Who Played the Captain in "Star Trek," Has Died: Asahi Shimbun (opens Asahi in a new tab)
Asian stock markets saw a significant rise following Anthropic's initial public offering filing, which disclosed strong revenue growth alongside substantial losses. Meta Platforms' large equity fundraising also contributed to the positive sentiment.
Asahi reported it asAnthropique May Have Its Largest IPO in History as Early as November; Prospectus Submitted: Asahi Shimbun (opens Asahi in a new tab)
China's Communist Party began its Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee in Beijing on October 26. President Xi Jinping opened the meeting, which is scheduled to last four days and focuses on enhancing party discipline and self-governance.
Asahi reported it asChinese Communist Party “Fifth Plenary Session” Opens for Xi's 4th Term to Tighten Within the Party: Asahi Shimbun (opens Asahi in a new tab)
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has secured a fourth term as Brazil's president, defeating right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro challenged the election results, while international leaders congratulated Lula on his victory and commitment to democracy.
Asahi reported it asIncumbent Lula Is Re-Elected as President of Brazil, Maintaining a Stance of Distancing Himself From the US Trump Administration: Asahi Shimbun (opens Asahi in a new tab)
Donald Trump has criticised the Norwegian Nobel Committee for not awarding him the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. He posted on Truth Social on Saturday, listing his claimed achievements in settling wars and securing hostage releases.
Asahi reported it asNobel Peace Prize Laureate Pillay Expresses Outrage in Solo Press Conference over US Sanctions Against ICC: Asahi Shimbun (opens Asahi in a new tab)
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate has risen to 7.28%, the highest in almost three years. September saw a significant slowdown in job creation, with only 29,000 new jobs added, and the unemployment rate edged up to 4.2%. Consumer confidence has also dropped to its lowest level since April 2014.
Asahi reported it asNikkei Average Continues to Rise, Closing Above 70,000 Yen for the First Time in Three Months, Driven by Strong AI Demand: Asahi Shimbun (opens Asahi in a new tab)
Global stock exchanges saw increases on Monday while oil prices declined. This trend emerged as concerns about inflation lessened, with investors expecting the US Federal Reserve to hold interest rates steady. Weaker than expected US job creation data contributed to these expectations.
Asahi reported it asNikkei Average Continues to Rise, Closing Above 70,000 Yen for the First Time in Three Months, Driven by Strong AI Demand: Asahi Shimbun (opens Asahi in a new tab)
China and the US have agreed to a $30 billion reciprocal tariff-reduction arrangement and to launch dialogue on artificial intelligence. The consensus was reached during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington.
Asahi reported it asUS and Chinese Leaders Agree on Tariff Reductions Worth 4.7 Trillion Yen; Mutual Notification Also Included in AI Accident Case: Asahi Shimbun (opens Asahi in a new tab)
President Donald Trump has announced plans for an AI-fueled drone port atop a new White House ballroom, intended for missile-bearing UAVs and armed troops. This comes as the U.S. Secret Service already operates a drone port nearby, using unarmed drones for surveillance.
Asahi reported it asXi Jinping's Favorable Treatment and Unwelcome US Media: Trump's White House: Asahi Shimbun (opens Asahi in a new tab)
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met with US President Donald Trump to discuss China ahead of Trump's planned summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The meeting occurred in New York during the UN General Assembly.
Asahi reported it asPrime Minister Takaichi Held Talks Despite the Risk of "Pressure on the ICC," Prioritizing Cooperation with the US on China: Asahi Shimbun (opens Asahi in a new tab)
US President Donald Trump has stated the US military would be used if necessary to secure national interests in the Western Hemisphere. He compared cartels to the 'Islamic State' and mentioned an operation that captured Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.
Asahi reported it asPrime Minister Takaichi to Attend UN General Assembly in the US: "I Want to Appeal for the Rule of Law and UN Reform" - Asahi Shimbun (opens Asahi in a new tab)
Russian film director Andrei Zvyagintsev has been designated a 'foreign agent' by the Ministry of Justice. The designation subjects individuals to strict regulations and income limitations. Zvyagintsev's recent film 'Minotaur' won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.
Asahi reported it asRussian Film Director Who Won the Golden Lion Award Designated as a "Foreign Agent," Implying Spy: Asahi Shimbun (opens Asahi in a new tab)
US President Donald Trump will personally greet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews on September 23. This rare airport reception precedes bilateral meetings and a state dinner.
Asahi reported it asTrump to Personally Welcome Xi Jinping upon His Arrival at the Air Force Base; an Unprecedented Honor for a "State Guest": Asahi Shimbun (opens Asahi in a new tab)
US President Donald Trump will host Chinese President Xi Jinping for a summit at the White House on September 24. The leaders are expected to discuss trade, rare earth supplies, and artificial intelligence. Xi's visit marks the first by a Chinese leader to the US presidential residence in over a decade.
Asahi reported it asTrump to Personally Welcome Xi Jinping upon His Arrival at the Air Force Base; an Unprecedented Honor for a "State Guest": Asahi Shimbun (opens Asahi in a new tab)
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim sang a Kishore Kumar song at a BRICS gala dinner in New Delhi. The performance was shared on his social media. The dinner was hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Asahi reported it asIndian and Chinese Leaders Meet for the Third Consecutive Year; Relations Stabilized, but Trust Building Is Still a Work in Progress: Asahi Shimbun (opens Asahi in a new tab)
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will attend the annual 9/11 remembrance ceremony on Friday. His attendance has drawn criticism due to his appointment of Ramzi Kassem as chief legal counsel, who previously represented a convicted al-Qaeda member.
Asahi reported it as"I Find It Offensive," Said the Former New York City Mayor Who Opposed Mamdani's Participation in the 9/11 Ceremony: Asahi Shimbun (opens Asahi in a new tab)
Russia's Foreign Ministry announced the closure of Germany's consulate in St. Petersburg, with operations to cease by September 18. This action follows Germany's recent decision to close Russian diplomatic facilities in Bonn and Berlin, which Russia labelled an "unfriendly" move.
Asahi reported it asRussia and Germany Exchange "Countermeasures" over Drone Incident at German Airport: Asahi Shimbun (opens Asahi in a new tab)
US Vice President JD Vance stated the conflict with Iran is not a war and that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is nearly back to normal. President Trump is reportedly considering declaring victory.
Asahi reported it asUS and Iran Retaliate with Attacks on Tankers; Tensions Continue in the Strait of Hormuz: Asahi Shimbun (opens Asahi in a new tab)
Former Japanese defense minister Gen Nakatani urged Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to protest US sanctions on the International Criminal Court and its president, Tomoko Akane. The US imposed sanctions over ICC investigations into Israeli and US personnel.
The 36th annual Ig Nobel Prizes awarded ten research teams for studies that are scientifically sound but unusual. This year's ceremony was held in Zurich, marking the first time the event took place outside the United States.
Asahi reported it asUrinals that Prevent Urine Splashing, Conditions that Increase the Risk of Snake bites... This Year's Ig Nobel Prizes: Asahi Shimbun (opens Asahi in a new tab)
Who says so
One organisation has published a rating for this outlet. Where they disagree, the disagreement is the useful part and it is left standing.
- Media Bias/Fact CheckleanLeftCheck it
How reliably it reports fact
A rating of the newsroom in general, by others, and a different thing from the Trust score we publish on each story, which judges one piece of reporting.
High factuality
- Media Bias/Fact CheckhighCheck it
Who owns it
- Share repurchaseunknowndirect owner
- TV AsahiMedia Conglomeratedirect owner
- The Asahi ShimbunCorporationparent group
- ToppanCorporationparent group
- The Master Trust Bank of Japanunknownparent group
- Mitsubishi UFJ Financial GroupCorporationparent group
- Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporationunknownparent group
- Nippon LifeCorporationparent group
- Meiji Yasuda LifeCorporationparent group
- Norinchukin BankCorporationparent group
- Recruit (company)Corporationparent group
- Mizuho Trust & BankingCorporationparent group
- Trust & Custody Services BankCorporationparent group
- State Street Bank and Trust CompanyCorporationparent group
- Northern TrustCorporationparent group
- Asahi Broadcasting Corporationunknowndirect owner
Where it publishes from
What we have seen ourselves
Counted across the stories this site has published, which is the only denominator a reader can check: every one of them has a page, and every page lists the reports it was written from.
- Stories
- 30
- Reports listed
- 30
- We could read
- 3
- First seen
- 4 August 2026
27 of those reports were paywalled or blocked to us. Our reading of this outlet is built on the 3 we could open, not on everything it published.
On 17 of those stories, outlets rated left were largely absent from the coverage and Asahi ran the story anyway.
Across the 30 stories of ours where at least three of the reports we listed carried a time, another outlet was always ahead of Asahi: its report arrived a median of 2 days after the earliest one we logged.
Measured 2 November 2026. Last seen in a coverage list 1 November 2026. Ratings pulled 5 October 2026.
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What we are responsible for is everything else: the ownership chain, where Asahi publishes from, which of our stories we have listed it on, and whether we have the right publisher at all. Tell us what is wrong and an editor reads it.
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Every rating on this page is a named third party’s published work, republished with its author and, where one exists, a link to it. Our own coverage record is the section we measure ourselves. Neither is a judgement of any individual report: those are scored story by story, and the reasoning is on our methodology page.