Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/55143

As is well known the weekly newspapers "Relation" und "Aviso" were published as far back as 1609 in Strasbourg and in Wolfenbüttel. These have been regarded as the beginning of the newspaper in modern sense i.e. a publishing medium with periodicity, universality,publicity and durability. Much German research has described several phenomena such as“Briefe”(correspondences/ letters),“Flugblatt/Einblattdruck/Neue Zeitung” (leaflet/one leafpress/news), “Flugschrift” (pamphlets),“Messrelation” (trade fair news),“Serienzeitung/Monatszeitung”( serial newspapers/monthly newspapers)as forerunners of the newspaper. To our surprise there were already two articles regarding Japan in a“NeueZeitung”of1585 and the“Monatszeitung”of 1597. They could be the oldest reports about Japan. The former describes the visit of Japanese delegation to Rome in the same year and the second reports about the situation of missionaries and the Christian community in Japan after the beginning of persecution. It is further necessary to investigate social and technological conditions in the 16th and the 17th century in order to examine the emerge of newspaper : the literacy of the population, the development of paper and press,and the information and transport system.