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NHK also provides an international broadcasting service, known asNHK World-Japan. NHK World-Japan is composed ofNHK World TV,NHK World Premium, and the shortwave radio serviceRadio Japan (RJ). World Radio Japan also makes some of its programs available on the Internet.
Atagoyama Broadcasting Station, the birthplace of NHK, in 1930
NHK's earliest forerunner was the Tokyo Broadcasting Station (東京放送局), founded in 1924 under the leadership of CountGotō Shinpei. Tokyo Broadcasting Station, along with separate organizations inOsaka andNagoya, began radio broadcasts in 1925. The three stations merged under the first incarnation of NHK in August 1926.[6] NHK was modelled on theBBC of theUnited Kingdom,[4] and the merger and reorganisation was carried out under the auspices of the pre-warMinistry of Communications.[7] NHK's second radio network began in 1931, and the third radio network (FM) began in 1937.
NHK beganshortwave broadcasting on an experimental basis in the 1930s, and began regular English- and Japanese-language shortwave broadcasts in 1935 under the nameRadio Japan, initially aimed at ethnic Japanese listeners inHawaii and the west coast ofNorth America. By the late 1930s, NHK's overseas broadcasts were known asRadio Tokyo, which became an official name in 1941.[citation needed]
In November 1941, theImperial Japanese Army nationalised all public news agencies and coordinated their efforts via the Information Liaison Confidential Committee.[citation needed] All published and broadcast news reports became official announcements of the Imperial Army General Headquarters in Tokyo for the duration ofWorld War II. The famousTokyo Rose wartime programs were broadcast by NHK.[4] NHK also recorded and broadcast theGyokuon-hōsō, the surrender speech made by EmperorHirohito, in August 1945.[8]
Following the war, in September 1945, the Allied occupation administration under GeneralDouglas MacArthur banned all international broadcasting by NHK, and repurposed several NHK facilities and frequencies for use by theFar East Network (nowAmerican Forces Network). Japanese-American radio broadcasterFrank Shozo Baba joined NHK during this time and led an early post-war revamp of its programming. Radio Japan resumed overseas broadcasts in 1952.[citation needed]
A newBroadcasting Act [ja] was enacted in 1950, which made NHK a listener-supported independent corporation and simultaneously opened the market forcommercial broadcasting in Japan.[9] NHK startedtelevision broadcasting in 1953, followed by its educational TV channel in 1959 and color television broadcasts in 1960.
NHK opened the first stage ofits current headquarters inJapan's capital city'sspecial wardShibuya as an international broadcasting center for the1964 Summer Olympics, the first widely televised Olympic Games. The complex was gradually expanded through 1973 when it became the headquarters for NHK. The previous headquarters adjacent toHibiya Park was redeveloped as the Hibiya City high-rise complex.
NHK began experimental satellite broadcasting with the NHK BS 1 channel in 1984, followed by NHK BS 2 in 1985.[10] Both channels began regular broadcasts in 1989. In April 2011, BS 1 was rebranded while BS 2 channel ceased broadcasting and was replaced by "BS Premium" which broadcasts on the channel formerly used by BShi.
International satellite broadcasts to North America and Europe began in 1995, which led to the launch ofNHK World in 1998. It becamefree-to-air over theAstra 19.2°E (Astra 1L) andEurobird satellites in Europe in 2008.
NHK begandigital television broadcasting in December 2000 through BS Digital, followed by terrestrial digital TV broadcasts in three major metropolitan areas in 2003. NHK's digital television coverage gradually expanded to cover almost all of Japan by 24 July 2011, when analog transmissions were discontinued & ended (except in three prefectures that were heavily affected by the2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami –Iwate,Miyagi,Fukushima – where it was discontinued on 31 March 2012).
NHK is a dependent corporation chartered by the JapaneseBroadcasting Act and primarily funded by license fees. NHK World broadcasting (for overseas viewers/listeners) is funded by the Japanese government.[citation needed] The annual budget of NHK is subject to review and approval by theDiet of Japan. The Diet also appoints the twelve-member board of governors (経営委員会keiei iinkai) that oversees NHK.
NHK is managed on a full-time basis by an executive board (理事会,rijikai) consisting of a president, executive vice president and seven to ten managing directors who oversee the areas of NHK operations. The executive board reports to the board of governors.
NHK International, Inc. (一般財団法人NHKインターナショナル): Established on 1 July 1980.
NHK Global Media Services, Inc. (株式会社NHKグローバルメディアサービス): Established on 1 April 2009, by mergingNHK Joho Network, Inc. ((株)NHK情報ネットワーク) (established on 1 January 1989) andJapan Teletex Co. Ltd. (日本文字放送) (established in 1985).[13]
NHK Cosmomedia America, Inc.: Created by mergingJapan Network Group (Media International Corporation) andNHK Enterprises America, Inc. on 1 April 2010,[14] but its licence was granted on 12 November 2008.[15] The company's logo was filed on 23 March 2010 and registered on 13 December 2011.[16]
NHK Cosmomedia (Europe) Limited: Created by mergingJSTV (company founded on 8 November 1989)[17] and NHK Enterprises Europe in April 2010.
NHK Technologies, Inc. (株式会社NHKテクノロジーズ): Established on 1 April 2019, by merging NHK Integrated Technology Inc. (株式会社NHKアイテック) and NHK Media Technology, Inc. (株式会社NHKメディアテクノロジー).[18]
NHK Engineering System, Inc. (一般財団法人NHKエンジニアリングシステム): Established on 22 December 1981.
NHK GAKUEN (学校法人 NHK学園): Established in 1962-10-01 (学校法人日本放送協会学園). It was renamed to its current name on 1 April 2018.[19]
NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo (公益財団法人 NHK交響楽団): Established on 27 April 1942, as Japan Symphony Orchestra (財団法人日本交響楽団). On 1 August 1951, it was renamed to NHK Symphony Orchestra (財団法人NHK交響楽団). It became a public interest-incorporated foundation and was renamed to its current name on 1 April 2010.[20][21]
NHK Public Welfare Organization/NHK HEARTS (社会福祉法人NHK厚生文化事業団): Established on 31 August 1960.
NHK Promotions Inc. (株式会社NHKプロモーション)/(株式会社エヌエイチケイプロモーション): Established on 1 October 1977, as NHK Promote Service Inc. (株式会社NHKプロモートサービス). It was renamed to its current name in October 1989.
NHK CULTURE CENTER (株式会社エヌエイチケイ文化センター)/(NHKカルチャー): Established on 1 December 1978.
NHK SERVICE CENTER, INC. (一般財団法人 NHK サービスセンター): Established on 28 February 1951.
NHK BUSINESS SERVICES INC. (NHK営業サービス株式会社): Established on 17 January 1990.
BS Conditional Access Systems Co., Ltd. (株式会社 ビーエス・コンディショナルアクセスシステムズ)/B-CAS (ビーキャス): Established on 22 February 2000.
NHK Business Create Inc. (株式会社 NHKビジネスクリエイト): Established on 1 April 2009, by merger (株式会社NHKオフィス企画), (株式会社NHK共同サービス).[22]
NHK-Communications Training Institute (一般財団法人NHK放送研修センター): Established on 8 August 1985.
NHK Integrated Technology Inc. (株式会社NHKアイテック): Established on 23 July 1969, as NHK Integrated Technology Inc. (全日本テレビサービス株式会社). It was merged into NHK Technologies, Inc. on 1 April 2019.
NHK Media Technology, Inc. (株式会社NHKメディアテクノロジー): Established in April 2008 by merging NHK Technical Service (株式会社NHKテクニカルサービス) (established 9 October 1984) and NHK Computer Service (株式会社NHKコンピューターサービス). It was merged into NHK Technologies, Inc. on 1 April 2019.
It maintains three radio stations available nationwide:
NHK Radio 1 – Organized mainly on news, information, drama and entertainment programs. It began its broadcasts on July 12, 1925 as the first radio station ofJapan. It is similar toBBC Radio 4 in theUnited Kingdom is also conducted (24-hour broadcast).
NHK Radio 2 – Organized mainly on educational and liberal arts programs. Weather forecasts, stock market conditions, news in foreign languages, etc. are also broadcast (broadcast from 6:00 a.m. to late at night. Broadcast end times vary by day).
It manages two open signal channels through digital terrestrial television. Since Japan has a television network system, it schedules territorial disconnections in each of its centers. However, the NHK brand is common for the whole country.
NHK General TV (NHK-G) – Pioneer of television in Japan, it began its broadcasts on 1 February 1953. Its offer is general and public service.
NHK Educational TV (NHK-E) – Educational and cultural channel, designed especially for children. It has been broadcasting since 10 January 1959.
All of them can also be tuned through the Internet, within the national territory. It also has one exclusive satellite channel, as well as two in ultra-high definition.
NHK BS (previously asNHK BS 1 andNHK BS Premium) – Specialized in information, international documentaries, sports broadcasts, cultural and entertainment programming. It was founded on 12 May 1984. Renamed as NHK BS on 1 December 2023.
NHK BS Premium 4K (previously asNHK BS Premium andNHK BS4K) – Cultural and entertainment programming in 4K. It was founded on 1 April 2011 and relaunched on 1 December 2023 (merger with NHK BS4K).
NHK BS8K – 8K programming, launched on 1 December 2018.
NHK is funded by reception fees (受信料,jushinryō), a system analogous to thelicense fee used in some English-speaking countries. The Broadcasting Act which governs NHK's funding stipulates anyone with equipment able to receive NHK must pay.[23] The fee is standardized,[24] with discounts for 6 and 12 monthly payments, as well a different fee rate for residents ofOkinawa prefecture. For viewers making annual payments by credit card with no special discounts, the reception fee is 12,765 yen per year for terrestrial reception only, and 21,765 yen per year for both terrestrial and broadcast satellite reception.[23]
However, theBroadcasting Act specifies no punitive actions for nonpayment; as a result, after a rash of NHK-relatedscandals including anaccounting one, the number of people in 2006 who had not paid the license fee surpassed one million watchers.[25] This incident sparked debate over the fairness of the fee system.[26] That year, the NHK opted to takelegal action against those most flagrantly in violation of the law.[27] By fiscal year 2023, the amount of those refusing to pay had gone up to 1.66 million.[28]
This fee and how it is charged is unpopular with some citizens. This led to the formation of theNHK Party (NHK党,NHK tō),[29] also known as N-Koku (N国),[30] asingle-issue political party, which has protested this fee with representatives in theupper house.
In the 2025 fiscal year, NHK will have a projected shortfall of 40 billion yen in license fees.[31] But the network seeks to fill the hole left by non-paying and no-television-watching watchers by collecting fees for a new streaming service planned to start at the beginning of the year. According to NHK, the new "internet-only" fee of 1,100 yen (USD $7) a month, the same as the broadcast fee, could add around 100 million yen (USD $634,000) to its yearly budget.[32][33]
NHK offers local, national, and world news reports.NHK News 7 airs daily and is broadcast bilingually with both Japanese and English audio tracks on NHK General TV and NHK's international channels TV Japan andNHK World Premium. The flagship news programNews Watch 9 is also bilingual and airs on NHK General TV and the international channels and NHK World Premium.World News, a program which airs bulletins from international broadcasters interpreted in Japanese, is aired on NHK BS1 withCatch! Sekai no Top News in the morning andInternational News Report at night, with the latter also airing on NHK World Premium. News on NHK BS1 is aired at 50 minutes past the hour except during live sports events.
NHK also offers news for the deaf (which airs on NHK Educational TV), regional news (which airs on NHK General TV) and children's news.Newsline is an English-language newscast designed for foreign viewers and airs onNHK World.
In his bookBroadcasting Politics in Japan: NHK and Television News, Ellis S. Krauss states: 'In the 1960s and 1970s, external critics of NHK news were complaining about the strict neutrality, the lack of criticism of the government, and the 'self-regulation in covering events'. Krauss claims that little had changed by the 1980s and 1990s.[34] After theFukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, NHK was criticised for underplaying the dangers fromradioactive contamination.[failed verification]
Under the Broadcasting Act, NHK is under the obligation to broadcast early warning emergency reporting in times of natural disasters such as earthquakes andtsunamis. Their national network of seismometers in cooperation with theJapan Meteorological Agency makes NHK capable of deliveringearthquake early warnings seconds after detection, as well as a more detailed report withShindo intensity measurements within two-to-three minutes after the quake. They also broadcast air attack warnings in the event of war, using theJ-Alert system.[35]
All warnings are broadcast in Japanese, with tsunami warnings also delivered in four foreign languages: English, Mandarin Chinese, Korean and Portuguese (Japan has smallChinese,Korean andBrazilian populations). The warnings were broadcast in these languages during the2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[36]
NHK broadcastssumo wrestling,baseball games,Olympic Games,soccer games, and a range of other sports. Their broadcast of the last two days of October 1952's autumnsumo tournament became the first ever televised sports broadcast in Japan.[37]
TheNHK Symphony Orchestra, financially sponsored by NHK, was formerly (until 1951) the Japanese Symphony Orchestra. Its website details the orchestra's history and ongoing concert programme.[38] Since 1953, NHK has broadcast theKōhaku Uta Gassen song contest on New Year's Eve, ending shortly before midnight inPIX System.
The longest running children's show in Japan,Okaasan to Issho (おかあさんといっしょ,With Mother), started broadcasting in 1959[39] and still airs to this day Monday to Friday at 17:36–18:00 JST, Sunday at 17:30–17:54 JST, with rebroadcasts Tuesday to Sunday at 5:00–5:24 JST on NHK World Premium.[40]
In 2007, three employees of NHK were fined and fired forinsider trading. They had profited by trading shares based on exclusive NHK knowledge.[41]
On 11 July 2008, NHK introduced a ban prohibiting stock trading by employees, numbering around 5,700, who had access to its internal news information management system. The employees were required to pledge in writing that they would not trade in stocks, and were required to gain approval from senior staff to sell shares they already held. NHK banned short-term stock trading completed in periods of six months or less for all other employees.[42]
The ban did not extend to employees' families, nor did NHK request any reports on their transactions.[41]
On 24 July 2013, a reporter at NHK Metropolitan Broadcasting Center died ofcongestive heart failure. In May 2014, the Shibuya Labor Standards Inspection Office of the Tokyo Labor Bureau certified it as akarōshi (overwork death). Although NHK did not report on this matter, it was announced in October 2017. Ryōichi Ueda, the chairman of NHK, visited the reporter's parents' home and apologized to them.[43][44][45][46]
Relationship with Johnny & Associates and Starto Entertainment
In regards to NHK's relationship with Johnny & Associates, they have stated that NHK acknowledges that sexual abuse allegations related to Johnny & Associates had repeatedly been reported for many years, but NHK also stated that they lacked awareness of the issue at that time and chose not to follow up or cover the issue entirely. In addition, they stated that they failed in their role as a news media organization, and simply sat idle as many minors became sexual abuse victims. On 8 September 2023, NHK said in a statement that they took the matter seriously, and that they would "work harder to ensure that human rights are more respected in the broadcasting industry" when it comes to using performers who best fit program content and production. The public broadcaster added that it did not fully acknowledge the sexual abuse matter despite various weekly magazine articles about the allegations and aTokyo High Court ruling in 2004.[47] A few weeks later, NHK announced that it would suspend new contracts with Johnny's performers–including for their annualNew Year's Evetelevision specialKōhaku Uta Gassen–until the company has implemented compensation and recurrence prevention measures.[48][49] In February 2024, the company announced a strict policy of terminating the appearance of talents formerly affiliated with Johnny & Associates on its programs and not allowing them to appear on new programs after FY2024.[50] In October 2024, NHK Chairman Nobuo Inaba announced at a regular press conference that, he had confirmed efforts ofSmile-Up to compensate victims and prevent recurrence and the separation of management fromStarto Entertainment is steadily progressing, and that requests to perform–including Kōhaku Uta Gassen for current Starto celebrities would resume. Commercial broadcasters had already announced on the resumption of new appointments to celebrities belonging to Starto.[51]
NHK has occasionally faced various criticisms for its treatment of Japan's wartime history.[52]
Katsuto Momii (籾井 勝人), the 21st Director-General of NHK, caused controversy[53][54] by discussing Japan's actions inWorld War II at his first press conference after being appointed on 20 December 2013. It was reported that Momii said NHK should support the Japanese government in its territorial dispute with China and South Korea.[55] He also caused controversy by what some describe as the playing down of thecomfort women issue in World War II, according to theTaipei Times, stating, "[South] Korea's statements that Japan is the only nation that forced this are puzzling. 'Give us money, compensate us', they say, but since all of this was resolved by the Japan–Korea peace treaty, why are they reviving this issue? It's strange."[56] It was subsequently reported byThe Japan Times that on his first day at NHK Momii asked members of the executive team to hand in their resignation on the grounds they had all been appointed by his predecessor.[57]
A number of civil society groups protested against Momii's continued tenure as Director-General of NHK.[58] On 27 January 2014,[59] the Viewers' Community to Observe and Encourage NHK (NHKを監視・激励する視聴者コミュニティ) issued a public letter calling for Momii's resignation on the grounds that the remarks he made at his inaugural press conference were explosive. The letter stated that if Momii did not resign by the end of April, its members would freeze their licence fee payments for half a year.[58] While Momii did not resign, he was not reappointed and retired after serving only one term of three years.[60]
On 17 October 2014,The Times claimed to have received internal NHK documents which banned any reference to theNanjing Massacre, to Japan's use of wartime sex slaves during World War II, and to its territorial dispute with China in its English-language broadcasting.[61]
On 10 June 2020, NHK apologized and took down an 80-second video about theBlack Lives Matter movement andGeorge Floyd protests that was criticized for its "crude" animation of protesters and its focus on economic inequality rather than police brutality.[62][63][64] An official statement signed by Yuichi Tabata, head of NHK's International News Division, was released through NHK's official website.[65]
On 9 January 2022, NHK issued an apology over false allegations made in DirectorNaomi Kawase's Tokyo Olympics documentary. Kawase was selected by theIOC in 2018 to cover Japanese reactions to the event and later during theCOVID-19 pandemic. Footage and captions in the documentary alleged that protesters were being paid money to attend anti-Olympics rallies. One of the men interviewed later stated he was "unsure" if he had actually attended any anti-Olympics rallies. NHK Osaka cited "editorial oversights" and "deficiencies in research", issuing an apology. Some anti-Olympic activists demanded that the documentary should be removed. Some activists were concerned that the misinformation was spread by NHK to silence those who opposed the Tokyo Olympics during the pandemic.[66] NHK denied that the footage was deliberately fabricated to mislead the public.[67][68] On 13 January 2022, the NHK Osaka directorTerunobu Maeda apologized during a press conference, admitting that the captions "should not have been included". Once again, he denied that the incident was a fabrication.[69] On 10 February 2022 NHK Osaka announced an internal review and fired 6 production staff members.[70]
In December 2023, Japan'sBroadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization (BPO) concluded that NHK had breached broadcasting ethics in its "News Watch 9" program, where people believed to have died fromCOVID-19vaccine injury were treated as if they had died from COVID-19. Regarding the incident as an inappropriate way of reporting, NHK stated that it would take measures to avoid the repetition of the misconduct.[71]
^"NHK会長、過労死記者の両親に直接謝罪" [NHK chairman directly apologizes to parents of deceased reporter].The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 6 October 2017. Archived fromthe original on 6 October 2017.
^"過労死: NHK会長、記者の遺族に謝罪" [Death from overwork: NHK apologizes to reporter's family].Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). 7 October 2017. Archived fromthe original on 27 January 2021.
^"NHK籾井会長に辞任要求/放送法に反すると市民団体".The Shikoku Shimbun (in Japanese). 27 January 2014.Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved27 September 2023.
^Sato, Junji (2019). "公共放送のあり方と財源: NHK受信料訴訟最高裁判決を受けて".Journal of Mass Communication Studies (in Japanese).95:99–100.doi:10.24460/mscom.95.0_87.ISSN1341-1306.
^"6月7日の放送についておわび" [Apologies over the 7 June broadcast](PDF). NHK. 24 June 2010. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 15 June 2020. Retrieved20 July 2021.
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