柴田直治

Reportage: Philippine Democracy — Forty Years after the People Power Revolution

Iwanami Shinsho, 2024 (in Japanese)

Nearly forty years after the 1986 People Power Revolution, which led the way for democratization in Asia and Eastern Europe, the son of the ousted dictator has become president, and memories of human rights abuses and plunder under his father’s martial law are fading. As disinformation spreads on social media and traditional media decline, where is Philippine democracy headed? Drawing on years of on-the-ground reporting, this book traces the Marcos family’s story through to the politics of today.

Bangkok Burning: Thaksin and “Thai-Style” Democracy

Mekong Publishing, 2010 (in Japanese)

Covers the most turbulent years of Thai politics, from the 2006 coup that toppled the elected Thaksin government to the 2010 military crackdown on the protesters who opposed it, as seen by a correspondent based in Bangkok. Drawing on first-hand observation, it examines the clash between “democracy with the King as Head of State” and the will of voters expressed at the ballot box.

The Depths of the Itoman Affair

The Asahi Shimbun Company (ND Books), 1992; credited to the Asahi Shimbun Osaka City News Department, written by Shibata as head of the reporting team (in Japanese)

In the final months of Japan’s bubble economy, huge sums flowed from the mid-sized trading house Itoman into the underworld in what became known as the country’s biggest postwar economic scandal. As leader of the Asahi Shimbun’s Osaka reporting team, Shibata followed the case from before the investigation began through the arrests of its central figures and the opening of the trial, interviewing most of the key players directly and recording the moves of the prosecutors.