Keijō Nippō
Keijō Nippō (京城日報, Korean: 경성일보; RR: Gyeongseong ilbo; MR: Kyŏngsŏng ilbo) was a Japanese-language newspaper published in Korea from 1906 to 1945. It is primarily associated with the Japanese colonial period in Korea, and is considered to have functionally been an official newspaper of the Japanese Governor-General of Chōsen.
The April 13, 1937 issue | |
| Format | Broadsheet |
|---|---|
| Founded | September 1, 1906 |
| Political alignment | Pro-Empire of Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Ceased publication | December 11, 1945 |
| Headquarters | Keijō, Korea, Empire of Japan |
During its peak around World War II, it was considered the top newspaper published in Korea, followed by the Fuzan Nippō and Chōsen Shinbun. Due to press centralization policies, from around 1942 to 1945 it was the only newspaper in Seoul with significant printing equipment.
However, upon the August 15, 1945 announcement of the surrender of Japan, it became greatly destabilized. With support from the remnants of the colonial government, it continued printing until October 31, 1945, in order to keep the Japanese residents of Korea informed of political developments. After which, it was ordered to hand off the operation to Korean people. They published for the remaining Japanese people in Korea until December 11. Its equipment, staff, and facilities then became part of various Korean newspapers.
Many of its early issues are now considered lost after they were destroyed by fire. The Korean Newspaper Archive has many issues from 1915 to 1945 available.