JAPAN: NHK picks fee refusers for courts to go after

In light of dwindling revenue and tarnished image, television network will bring unpaying subscribers to court

Japan Times
Friday, Oct. 6, 2006

NHK Chairman Genichi Hashimoto said Thursday 47 households and one business in Tokyo with unpaid subscription fees ranging from 41,850 yen to 126,360 yen will be pressed for payment through summary courts if they don't settle their bills by Oct. 31.

"It's true that people feel it is unfair" because some people pay their fees while others do not, Hashimoto said.

The 48 nonpayers, selected at random, have been delinquent for between 30 and 54 months.

After the deadline, NHK said it will press its claim in summary courts, which will then issue past-due notices to the nonpayers.

If they ignore the court notice, they face possible seizure of their assets.

Hashimoto said NHK is considering expanding the number of nonpayers targeted beyond the 48 in Tokyo. Nationwide, the number of nonpayers as of the end of September totaled about 1.12 million, according to NHK.

NHK is apparently attempting to make an example out of 48 in the face of dwindling fee revenues. Its income began falling even faster after a number of scandals involving its employees.

The ethical and legal woes at the broadcaster include embezzlement of production funds by senior NHK officials, some of which were used for entertainment.

In another incident, an NHK reporter was arrested in connection with seven arson attacks on homes in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture in April and May of last year.

A law governing NHK's business defines "viewers" as "households and offices with TV sets capable of receiving NHK channels," and obliges them to pay viewer fees.

For color terrestrial TV service, the subscription fee is 1,345 yen. No punishment for nonpayment is stipulated in the law.

In a separate move to bolster the public broadcaster, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry plans to introduce a bill next year requiring all TV viewers to pay for NHK service because there are almost no TVs that cannot receive NHK channels.

The government is expected to wrap up discussions on the issue by next spring and submit a bill to the Diet.

Date Posted: 10/6/2006