television
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
and
radio
Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...
networks as well as
newspaper
A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...
s and
magazine
A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...
s in
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. For the most part, television networks were established based on capital investments by existing radio networks.
Variety shows
Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a compè ...
, serial dramas, and news constitute a large percentage of Japanese evening shows.
Western movies are also shown, many with a
subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a method of transmitting more than one independent program stream simultaneously from the same digital radio or television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compressi ...
for English. There are all-English television channels on cable and satellite (with Japanese subtitles).
Television networks
There are 6 nationwide television networks, as follows:
*
NHK
, also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee.
NHK ope ...
licence fee
A television licence or broadcast receiving licence is a payment required in many countries for the reception of television broadcasts or the possession of a television set. In some countries, a licence is also required to own a radio or rece ...
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
. NHK deliberately maintains neutral reporting as a public broadcast station, even refusing to mention commodity brand names. NHK has 2 terrestrial TV channels, unlike the other TV networks (in the Tokyo region—channel 1 (
NHK General TV
, abbreviated on-screen as NHK G, is the main television service of NHK, the Japanese public broadcaster. Its programming includes news, drama, quiz/variety shows, music, sports, anime, and specials which compete directly with the output of its co ...
Nippon Television Network System
Nippon Television Network System (NNS; ) is a Japanese television network organized by Nippon Television (NTV), which is itself controlled by The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings. NTV feeds entertainment and other non-news programming over NNS to 29 a ...
(NNS)/
Nippon News Network
Nippon News Network (NNN) is a Japanese commercial television network owned by Nippon TV, Nippon Television (NTV), which itself is controlled by The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings. The network's responsibility includes the syndication of national te ...
(NNN) headed by
Nippon Television
JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as (NTV) or Nippon TV, is a Japanese television station serving the Kantō region as the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned and operated by the , a sub ...
(NTV). In the Tokyo region, channel 4. Affiliated with the ''
Yomiuri Shimbun
The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five major newspapers in Japan; the other four are ''The Asahi Shimbun'', the ''Chunichi Shimbun'', the ''Ma ...
'' newspaper.
* The
Tokyo Broadcasting System
(formerly ) is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network TBS Television and radio network TBS Radio. It has a 28-affiliate television network called Japan News Network, as ...
holding company owns the
Tokyo Broadcasting System
(formerly ) is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network TBS Television and radio network TBS Radio. It has a 28-affiliate television network called Japan News Network, as ...
(TBS) station (which is broadcast nationally) and the
Japan News Network
The Japan News Network (JNN; ) is a Japanese commercial television network run by TBS Television, owned by TBS Holdings (which is a part of the Mitsui Group '' keiretsu'' and highly cooperating with the '' Mainichi Shimbun'' despite the lac ...
(JNN) which supplies news programming to TBS and other affiliates. In the Tokyo region, channel 6. Affiliated with the ''
Mainichi Shimbun
The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by
In addition to the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', which is printed twice a day in several local editions, Mainichi also operates an English-language news website called , and publishes a bilin ...
'' newspaper.
Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Co., Ltd.
is a regional radio and television service serving Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It is majorly owned by the ''Chunichi Shimbun''. Its radio service is affiliated with the Japan Radio Network, Japan Radio Network (JRN) and its television ...
, a quasi-key station in Nagoya, is related to the ''Chunichi Shimbun'' newspaper.
*
Fuji Network System
Fuji Network System (FNS; , 'Fuji Network') is a Japanese television network operated by Fuji Television Network, Inc. (Fuji TV), part of the Fujisankei Communications Group
, abbreviated FCG, is Japan's largest media conglomerate. Its chair ...
(FNS) and the
Fuji News Network
Fuji News Network (FNN) is a Japanese commercial television network run by Fuji Television Network, Inc. (Fuji TV), part of the Fujisankei Communications Group. The network's responsibility includes the syndication of national television news ...
(FNN) share the flagship station
Fuji Television
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...
. In the Tokyo region, channel 8. Part of the
Fujisankei Communications Group
, abbreviated FCG, is Japan's largest media conglomerate. Its chair is Hisashi Hieda. The group engages in a wide range of businesses, from Mass media in Japan, media and entertainment, including Television in Japan, television, Japanese newspape ...
, a
keiretsu
A is a set of companies with interlocking business relationships and shareholdings that dominated the Japanese economy in the second half of the 20th century. In the legal sense, it is a type of business group that is in a loosely organized al ...
. Tokai TV, a quasi-key station in Nagoya, is related to the ''Chunichi Shimbun'' newspaper.
* TV Asahi Network/
All-Nippon News Network
All-Nippon News Network (ANN; ) is a Japanese commercial television network run by TV Asahi Corporation (TV Asahi) in Tokyo, which is controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Company. The network's responsibility includes the syndication of nationa ...
(ANN) headed by
TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...
. Affiliated with the ''
Asahi Shimbun
is a Japanese daily newspaper founded in 1879. It is one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan.
The ''Asahi Shimbun'' is one of the five largest newspapers in Japan along with the ''Yom ...
'' newspaper, which owns Nearly 25% of the station. In the Tokyo region, channel 5.
* TV Tokyo Network (TXN) headed by
TV Tokyo
JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.Nikkei, Inc. In the Tokyo region, channel 7.
In addition, there is the
Japanese Association of Independent Television Stations
The Japanese Association of Independent Television Stations (JAITS; ) is a group of Japan's reception fee-free commercial broadcasting, commercial terrestrial television stations which are not members of Japanese media#TV networks, the major na ...
(JAITS), which consists of independent stations in the three major metropolitan areas (excluding Ibaraki, Shizuoka, and Osaka), and includes TV stations affiliated with the ''
Chunichi Shimbun
The is a Japanese daily "broadsheet" newspaper published in mostly Aichi Prefecture and neighboring regions by Based in Nagoya, one of the three major Japanese metropolitan areas, it boasts the third highest circulation after the group newspa ...
'' newspaper such as
Tokyo MX
JOMX-DTV (channel 9), branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent station, independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city and parts ...
and
TV Kanagawa
(tvk for short) is an independent television station in Japan serving Kanagawa Prefecture and parts of the Greater Tokyo Area with favorable reception. The station was founded on April 20, 1971 and began broadcasting on April 1, 1972. Its call s ...
.
Radio networks
AM radio
#
NHK Radio 1
, known by its callsign NHK AM, is Japan's oldest radio station operated by the public broadcaster, NHK. Its programming output, which consists of news, current affairs, and information is broadly similar to the BBC's Radio 4 in the United Kingd ...
,
NHK Radio 2
is a Japanese radio station operated by the public broadcaster, NHK. Its output consists of education and culture programming where NHK Radio 2 is regarded as the radio version of NHK Educational TV and is broadly similar to South Korea's EB ...
TBS radio
TBS Radio, Inc. () is a radio station in Tokyo, Japan, the flagship radio station of the Japan Radio Network (JRN). The company was founded by the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS, presently named TBS Holdings, Inc.) on March 21, 2000. TBS Radio ...
Nippon Broadcasting System
, or JOLF, is a Japanese radio station based in Yurakucho, Chiyoda ward, Tokyo, headquartered near the Tokyo Imperial Palace. It is also the main company of the Nippon Broadcasting Group. Nippon Broadcasting System is a subsidiary of Fu ...
(ニッポン放送)
# Radio Nikkei is an independent shortwave station broadcasts nationwide with two services.
Tokyo FM
(abbreviation:TFM) is a radio station in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flagship station of the Japan FM Network (JFN).
Timeline
The station's forerunner, FM Tokai (FM東海, abbreviated FMT), owned by Tokai University, was launched on ...
J-Wave
J-Wave is an commercial radio station based in Tokyo, Japan, broadcasting on 81.3 FM from the Tokyo Skytree to the Tokyo area. J-Wave airs mostly music, including J-pop, C-pop, and Western music, covering a wide range of formats. The station i ...
Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
,
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
,
Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
, and Line, are the leading used media platforms in the Japanese industry.Line is an app used for instant communication on electronic devices. Statistics show that Facebook use in Japan is at 47.75%, X (formerly
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
) use is at 19.33%,
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
use is at 13.9%,
Pinterest
Pinterest is an American social media service for publishing and discovery of information in the form of digital Bulletin board, pinboards. This includes recipes, home, style, motivation, and inspiration on the Internet using image sharing. Pint ...
use is at 10.69%, Instagram use is at 4.93%, and
Tumblr
Tumblr (pronounced "tumbler") is a microblogging and Social networking service, social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and is owned by American company Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content ...
use is at 2.29%. In Japan, as of 2017, nearly 100% of residents are online, smartphone use is reaching 80%, and some form of social media is being used by over half of the population.
Shūkan Gendai
is a general-interest weekly magazine published by Kodansha in Tokyo, Japan.
History and profile
''Shūkan Gendai'' was started in 1959. The magazine has its headquarters in Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital o ...
'' (週刊現代) Liberal.
# Shūkan Josei (週刊女性). For women
# Shūkan Post (週刊ポスト). Conservative
# Shūkan Shinchō (週刊新潮). Conservative
# Shūkan Toyo Keizai (週刊東洋経済). Economic
# Spa! (スパ!). Conservative
# Sunday Mainichi (サンデー毎日). Liberal
Monthly magazines
# '' Bungei Shunjuu'' (文藝春秋). Conservative.
# ''Chuuou Kouron'' (中央公論). Affiliated with the
Yomiuri Shimbun
The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five major newspapers in Japan; the other four are ''The Asahi Shimbun'', the ''Chunichi Shimbun'', the ''Ma ...
. Conservative.
# ''Seiron'' (正論). Published by the
Sankei Shimbun
The , name short for , is a daily national newspaper in Japan published by the Sankei Shimbun Co., Ltd, ranking amongst the top five most circulated newspapers in Japan. Together with its English-language paper ''Japan Forward'', the ''Sankei ...
Yomiuri Shimbun
The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five major newspapers in Japan; the other four are ''The Asahi Shimbun'', the ''Chunichi Shimbun'', the ''Ma ...
(読売新聞). Conservative. First ranked in daily circulation at around 7 million per day. The Yomiuri exchanged a special contract with
The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
. Affiliated with
Nippon Television
JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as (NTV) or Nippon TV, is a Japanese television station serving the Kantō region as the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned and operated by the , a sub ...
.
Nikkatsu
is a Japanese film studio located in Bunkyō. The name ''Nikkatsu'' amalgamates the words Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally "Japan Motion Pictures".
Shareholders are Nippon Television Holdings (35%) and SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (28.4%). ...
Film is a grandchild company.
#
Asahi Shimbun
is a Japanese daily newspaper founded in 1879. It is one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan.
The ''Asahi Shimbun'' is one of the five largest newspapers in Japan along with the ''Yom ...
(朝日新聞). Liberal,
Third way
The Third Way is a predominantly centrist political position that attempts to reconcile centre-right and centre-left politics by advocating a varying synthesis of Right-wing economics, right-wing economic and Left-wing politics, left-wing so ...
. Second ranked in daily circulation at around 5 million copies per day. Group companies include Toei (de facto), Asahi Broadcasting Company,
TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...
, and
Asahi Net
ASAHI Net is a major Internet service provider based in Japan and
which is operated by , a public company founded on April 2, 1990. Asahi Net, Inc. has been listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange since December 2007. It offers l ...
.
#
Mainichi Shimbun
The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by
In addition to the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', which is printed twice a day in several local editions, Mainichi also operates an English-language news website called , and publishes a bilin ...
(毎日新聞). Centre-left,
Keynesian
Keynesian economics ( ; sometimes Keynesianism, named after British economist John Maynard Keynes) are the various macroeconomic theories and models of how aggregate demand (total spending in the economy) strongly influences economic output an ...
. Fifth ranked in daily circulation—around 2 million per day. Although the capital tie-up with
Mainichi Broadcasting System
JOOY-DTV (channel 4), branded as or (formerly known as from 1959 to 2011), is a Japanese television station serving as the Kansai region key station of the Japan News Network, owned-and-operated by a subsidiary of MBS Media Holdings with ...
/
Tokyo Broadcasting System
(formerly ) is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network TBS Television and radio network TBS Radio. It has a 28-affiliate television network called Japan News Network, as ...
has been dissolved, it is still a friendship company that exchanges employees and cooperates with the press. In 2020, the circulation was overtaken by the Chunichi Shimbun alone ( Tōkai version), which does not include the Tokyo Shimbun. Deep relationship with
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...
and Shochiku Film.
# Nikkei Shimbun (日本経済新聞). Conservative, Economic liberal with more centre-right. Fourth ranked in daily circulation at around 2 million copies per day. Economic paper in the style of
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
. Affiliated with
TV Tokyo
JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.Sankei Shimbun
The , name short for , is a daily national newspaper in Japan published by the Sankei Shimbun Co., Ltd, ranking amongst the top five most circulated newspapers in Japan. Together with its English-language paper ''Japan Forward'', the ''Sankei ...
(産経新聞). Right-wing. Sankei Shimbun also publishes
Sankei Sports
is a Japanese-language daily sports newspaper published by Sankei Shimbun. In 2014, it had a circulation of 1,270,000. The newspaper is known by its nickname .
See also
* Fujisankei Communications Group
, abbreviated FCG, is Japan's largest m ...
Fujisankei Communications Group
, abbreviated FCG, is Japan's largest media conglomerate. Its chair is Hisashi Hieda. The group engages in a wide range of businesses, from Mass media in Japan, media and entertainment, including Television in Japan, television, Japanese newspape ...
, a
media conglomerate
A media conglomerate, media company, media group, or media institution is a company that owns numerous companies involved in mass media enterprises, such as music, television, radio, publishing, motion pictures, video games, amusement parks, or ...
.
Regional papers
*
Chunichi Shimbun
The is a Japanese daily "broadsheet" newspaper published in mostly Aichi Prefecture and neighboring regions by Based in Nagoya, one of the three major Japanese metropolitan areas, it boasts the third highest circulation after the group newspa ...
/ Tokyo Shimbun (中日新聞/東京新聞). Center-left to left-wing. Largest regional paper. Third ranked in daily circulation at around 2 million copies per day. In the Kanto region, the group publishes Tokyo Shimbun(東京新聞).
Chunichi Shimbun
The is a Japanese daily "broadsheet" newspaper published in mostly Aichi Prefecture and neighboring regions by Based in Nagoya, one of the three major Japanese metropolitan areas, it boasts the third highest circulation after the group newspa ...
is published in most of the Chubu and Kanto regions, and is a leading newspaper based in
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...
.
Other nationally known regional papers include Nishinippon Shimbun (西日本新聞) in
Kyushu
is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...
Hokkaido
is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
* Tokyo Investigative Newsroom Tansa, Japan's first nonprofit newsroom. Tansa was founded in 2017 by former Asahi Shimbun journalist Matako Watanabe. The paper is the only Japanese investigative nonprofit in the
Global Investigative Journalism Network
The Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) is "an international association of nonprofit organizations that support, promote and produce investigative journalism." The association is headquartered in the United States, and its membership ...
.
Specialty papers
Among niche newspapers are publications like the widely circulated
Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun
''Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun'' (日刊工業新聞, The Daily Industrial News), one of the leading daily newspapers in Japan, specializes in business and industrial affairs, and is published by The Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd. (Head Office: Tokyo, Japan) ...
Japanese Communist Party
The is a communist party in Japan. Founded in 1922, it is the oldest political party in the country. It has 250,000 members as of January 2024, making it one of the largest non-governing communist parties in the world. The party is chaired ...
. Other niches include papers devoted entirely to predicting the results of horse races. One of the best-known papers in the genre is Keiba Book (). Shūkan Go () is a weekly newspaper that covers the results of professional Go tournaments and contains hints on Go strategy.
As in other countries, surveys tend to show that the number of newspaper subscribers is declining, a trend which is expected to continue.
Claims of media bias
Claims of media bias in Japanese newspapers and the mainstream media in general are often seen on blogs and right-leaning Internet forums, where the "mass media" (''masu-komi'' (abbreviation of
mass communication
Mass communication is the process of imparting and exchanging information through mass media to large population segments. It utilizes various forms of media as technology has made the dissemination of information more efficient. Primary examples o ...
) in Japanese) are often referred to as "mass garbage" (''masu-gomi''). Signs with this epithet were carried by demonstrators in Tokyo on 24 October 2010, at what was reportedly the first demonstration in Japan to be organized on
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
. Among the general public, the credibility of the press suffered after the
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
The is a disabled nuclear power plant located on a site in the towns of Ōkuma, Fukushima, Ōkuma and Futaba, Fukushima, Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The plant Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, suffered major damage from the 201 ...
crisis, when reporters failed to press government and industry sources for more information, and official reports turned out to be inaccurate or simply wrong.Kazuo Hizumi, a journalist turned lawyer, details structural problems in his book, 「マスコミはなぜマスゴミと呼ばれるのか？」, ''"Masukomi wa naze masugomi to yobareru no ka?"'', (''"Why is mass media called mass garbage?"''), which argues that a complex network of institutions, such as elite bureaucrats, judiciary, education system, law enforcement, and large corporations, all of whom stand to gain from maintaining the status quo, shapes the mass media and communication in a way that controls Japanese politics and discourages critical thinking.
Key stations: television and radio
In Japan, there are five broadcasting stations which take the lead in the network of
commercial broadcasting
Commercial broadcasting (also called private broadcasting) is the broadcasting of television programs and radio programming by privately owned corporate media, as opposed to state sponsorship, for example. It was the United States' first model ...
. The five stations are
Nippon Television
JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as (NTV) or Nippon TV, is a Japanese television station serving the Kantō region as the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned and operated by the , a sub ...
,
Tokyo Broadcasting System
(formerly ) is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network TBS Television and radio network TBS Radio. It has a 28-affiliate television network called Japan News Network, as ...
,
Fuji Television
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...
,
TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...
, and
TV Tokyo
JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, and they are called zaikyō kī kyoku (, Key stations in Tokyo) or kī kyoku (, Key stations).
The key stations make
news show
News broadcasting is the medium of broadcasting various news events and other information via television, radio, or the internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or telev ...
s and entertainment programs, and wholesale them to local broadcasting stations through the networks. Although local broadcasting stations also manufacture programs, the usage of the key stations is very large, and 55.7% of the TV program total sales in the 2002 fiscal year (April 2002 to March 2003) were sold by the key stations. Furthermore, the networks are strongly connected with newspaper publishing companies, and they influence the media very strongly. For this reason, they are often criticized.
In addition, there is CS broadcasting and
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
distribution by the subsidiaries of the key stations. The definition of key station has changed a little in recent years.
Outline
In Japan, every broadcasting company (except
NHK
, also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee.
NHK ope ...
terrestrial television
Terrestrial television, or over-the-air television (OTA) is a type of television broadcasting in which the content is signal transmission, transmitted via radio waves from the terrestrial (Earth-based) transmitter of a TV station to a TV rece ...
broadcasts has an appointed broadcast region. In Article 2 of the Japanese Broadcasting Law ( 放送法), the
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
The is a Cabinet (government), cabinet-level ministry in the Government of Japan. Its English name was Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications (MPHPT) prior to 2004. It is housed in the 2nd Building of the Centr ...
defines the fixed zone where the broadcast of the same program for every classification of broadcast is simultaneously receivable. So, the broadcasting company constructs a network with other regions, and with this network establishes the exchange of
news
News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the te ...
or programs. The broadcasting companies which send out many programs to these networks are called key stations.
Presently the broadcasting stations located in Tokyo send out the programs for the whole country. However, although
Tokyo MX
JOMX-DTV (channel 9), branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent station, independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city and parts ...
is in the Tokyo region, it is only a
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...
and other areas are older than those in Tokyo. However, in order to meet the large costs of making programs key stations were established in Tokyo to sell programs nationwide. Some local stations have a higher profit ratio since they can merely buy programs from the networks.
Sub-key stations
Since the broadcasting stations which assign the head offices in
Kansai region
The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropol ...
(especially in
Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
) have a program supply frame at
prime time
Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
etc. and sent out many programs subsequently to kī kyoku, they are called jun kī kyoku (, sub-key stations).
List of key stations
Advertising agencies
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Dentsu
, simply known as , stylized as dentsu, is a Japanese international advertising and public relations joint stock company headquartered in Tokyo. Dentsu is the largest advertising agency in Japan and the fifth largest advertising agency network in ...
(電通). The largest advertising agency in Japan, and the fourth-largest worldwide. Dentsu has an enormous presence in television and other media, and has strong ties to the legislative branch of government.
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Hakuhodo
is a Japanese advertising and public relations company owned by Hakuhodo DY Holdings. It is headquartered at Akasaka Biz Tower in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo.
History
Hakuhodo is one of the oldest advertising agencies in Japan and was founded ...
(博報堂). The second-largest Japanese advertising agency. Advertisement agencies under its umbrella include Daiko (大広) and Yomiko Advertising (読売広告社, Yomiuri Kōkokusha). Also known as Showgate, the film production division.
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CyberAgent
is a Japanese digital advertising company, which was founded in 1998 by Susumu Fujita and headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is owned by Susumu Fujita with 20.50% interest; Fujita is the representative director, while Yusuke Hidaka is the execut ...
(サイバーエージェント, Saibā Ējento) The third-largest Japanese advertising agency, that is mainly Internet advertising.
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Asatsu-DK
d/b/a ADK, formerly known as Asatsu-DK, is a Japanese advertising agency. Headquartered in the Toranomon Hills building complex in Minato, Tokyo since June 2014 (previously in Tsukiji, Chūō, Tokyo), the firm is Japan's third largest adv ...
(アサツー ディ・ケイ). The fourth-largest Japanese advertising agency. a subsidiary of
Bain Capital
Bain Capital, LP is an American Investment company, private investment firm based in Boston, Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, with around $185 billion of assets under management. It specializes in private equity, venture capital, credit, p ...
Kyodo News
is a nonprofit cooperative news agency based in Minato, Tokyo. It was established in November 1945 and it distributes news to almost all newspapers, and radio and television networks in Japan. The newspapers using its news have about 50 million ...
(共同通信).
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Radio Press
Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connected to ...
(ラヂオプレス)
See also
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Anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
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Cinema of Japan
The , also known domestically as , has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world; as of 2022, it was the Film industry#Statistics, fourth largest by number of feature films p ...
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Manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
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Media mix
A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program, o ...
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Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, ''tokusatsu'' mainly refers to science fiction film, science fiction, War fi ...
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Video games in Japan
Video games are a major industry in Japan, and the country is considered one of the most influential in video gaming. Japanese game development is often identified with the golden age of video games and the country is home to many notable vid ...
References
Further reading
* Kondo, Motohiro (近藤 大博 ''Kondō Motohiro'') (
Nihon University
, abbreviated as , is a private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice, in 1889. The university's name is derived from the Ja ...
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...