Broadcasting in Japan: Challenges and Opportunities

This book provides an analysis of the various challenges and opportunities facing the Japanese broadcasting industry. It is the first book in English that explores how Japanese broadcasting, especially commercial broadcasting, fulfills its social mission under the threat of the increased popularity of Internet-based media services as it reexamines the role and nature of broadcasting. During a series of disasters and the spread of the new coronavirus in Japan, while varied media connected people and supported socio-economic activities, broadcasting continued to be the most trusted. However, as Internet media attract increasing attention, the trend in broadcast viewership is downward. Commercial broadcasting, in particular, will be strongly affected by that trend and the impact of the shrinking population.

Recognizing that such dramatic technological and environmental changes are under way, in addition to the eleven researchers participating in the visiting researcher committee at the Research Institute of the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association (JBA), four research collaborators and the secretariat (director of the JBA) have contributed to this book. They have taken up issues related to challenges and opportunities for the broadcasting industry based on their respective areas of awareness of the problems, including policies for broadcasting, fake news, disaster responses, viewer trust in television programs, competition with Internet-based services, and the business model for broadcasting.

Hitoshi Mitomo is a Professor of Digital Economy and Digital Sustainability at the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies and Director of the Institute of Digital Society, Waseda University, Japan. He has served as President of the Japan Society of Info-Communication Research and a Vice Chair of the International Telecommunications Society.

Professor Mitomo’s research spans a wide range of socio-economic and regulatory issues related to ICT deployment and utilization. In addition to economic analysis, he is interested in people’s disaster responses affected by social and mass media by incorporating sociological and psychological factors into the study. While serving as a member of the Telecommunications Council of Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), he has been involved in various ICT and media policy development.

Mikio Kimura is Director of Research Institute, The Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association. He is a Director, Japan Society of Info-Communication Research. His major research fields are Demand forecasting of media industries, Media Economics, audience behaviours and MOT. He earned Ph.D. from Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo.