Freedom of press hurt by nuclear crisis: group {japan}

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http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120127a3.html

Freedom of the press in Japan fell last year to a ranking of only 22nd in the world, from 11th the year before, due to "excessive restrictions" on reporting the Fukushima nuclear crisis, according to the global nonprofit group Reporters Without Borders.

In its 10th annual rankings, Japan placed 22nd out of 179 nations studied.

While three countries ruled by dictatorships, Eritrea, Turkmenistan and North Korea, continued to occupy the bottom three places, countries known for respecting the basic freedom of the press, including Finland, Norway and the Netherlands, retained the top positions, the Paris-based group announced Wednesday.

"Japan coverage of the tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear accident gave rise to excessive restrictions and exposed the limits of the pluralism of the country's press," the organization said in a news release.