The Japan Broadcasting Corporation (Japanese: 日本放送協会, Hepburn: Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai), also known by its romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee.
NHK operates two terrestrial television channels (NHK General TV and NHK Educational TV), three satellite television channels (NHK BS; as well as two ultra-high-definition television channels, NHK BS Premium 4K and NHK BS8K), and two radio networks (NHK AM and NHK FM).
NHK also provides an international broadcasting service, known as NHK World-Japan, which is composed of NHK World TV, NHK World Premium, and the shortwave radio service Radio Japan (RJ). World Radio Japan also makes some of its programs available on the Internet.
NHK was the first broadcaster in the world to broadcast in high-definition (using multiple sub-Nyquist sampling encoding, also known as Hi-Vision) and in 8K.
History
NHK's earliest forerunner was the Tokyo Broadcasting Station (東京放送局), founded in 1924 under the leadership of Count Gotō Shinpei. Tokyo Broadcasting Station, along with separate organizations in Osaka and Nagoya, began radio broadcasts in 1925. The three stations merged under the first incarnation of NHK in August 1926. NHK was modeled on the BBC of the United Kingdom, and the merger and reorganisation was carried out under the auspices of the pre-war Ministry of Communications. NHK's second radio network began in 1931, and the third radio network began airing in FM in 1957.
Radio broadcasting
NHK began shortwave broadcasting on an experimental basis in the 1930s, and began regular English and Japanese-language broadcasts in 1935 under the name Radio Japan, initially aimed at ethnic Japanese listeners in Hawaii and the west coast of North America. By the late 1930s, NHK's overseas broadcasts were known as Radio Tokyo, which became its official name in 1941.
In November 1941, the Imperial Japanese Army nationalised all public news agencies and coordinated their efforts via the Information Liaison Confidential Committee. All published and broadcast news reports became official announcements of the Imperial Army General Headquarters in Tokyo for the duration of World War II. NHK broadcast the famous Tokyo Rose wartime programs, as well as the surrender speech made by Emperor Hirohito, in August 1945, known as Gyokuon-hōsō.
Following the war, in September 1945, the Allied Occupation Administration under General Douglas MacArthur banned all international broadcasting by NHK, and repurposed several NHK facilities and frequencies for use by the Far East Network (now American Forces Network). Japanese-American radio broadcaster Frank Shozo Baba joined NHK during this time and led an early post-war revamp of its programming. Radio Japan resumed overseas broadcasts in 1952.
A new Broadcasting Act was enacted in 1950, which made NHK a listener-supported independent corporation and simultaneously opened the market for commercial broadcasting in Japan. NHK began television broadcasting in 1953, followed by its educational TV channel in 1959, and color television broadcasts in 1960.
NHK opened the first stage of its current headquarters in Japan's capital city's special ward Shibuya as an international broadcasting center for the 1964 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 to Hibiya Park were redeveloped as the Hibiya City high-rise complex.
Satellite broadcasting
NHK began experimental satellite broadcasting with the NHK BS 1 channel in 1984, followed by NHK BS 2 in 1985, with both beginning regular broadcasts in 1989. In April 2011, BS 1 was rebranded, while BS 2 ceased broadcasting and was replaced by "BS Premium" which operates on a channel formerly occupied by BShi.
International satellite broadcasts to North America and Europe began in 1995, which led to the launch of NHK World in 1998. It became free-to-air over the Astra 19.2°E (Astra 1L) and Eurobird satellites in Europe in 2008.
Digital television
NHK began digital 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 the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami – Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima – where it continued until 31 March 2012).
Studies of Broadcasting
From 1963 to 1999, NHK published the journal Studies of broadcasting: an international annual of broadcasting science.
Organization
NHK is a dependent corporation chartered by the Japanese Broadcasting Act and primarily funded by license fees. NHK World broadcasting (for overseas viewers/listeners) is funded by the Japanese government. The annual budget of NHK is subject to review and approval by the Diet of Japan, which 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 various areas of operations. The executive board reports to the board of governors.
Subsidiaries
NHK Enterprises, Inc. (NHKエンタープライズ, abbreviated NEP): Established on 1 April 2005.
NHK Educational Corporation (株式会社 NHKエデュケーショナル): Established on 30 May 1989.
NHK ART, Inc. (株式会社NHKアート): Established on 10 July 1961.
NHK Publishing, Inc. (NHK出版): Established on 1 April 1931.
Japan International Broadcasting Inc. (株式会社日本国際放送)/JIB: Established on 4 April 2008.
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 merging NHK Joho Network, Inc. ((株)NHK情報ネットワーク) (established on 1 January 1989) and Japan Teletex Co. Ltd. (日本文字放送) (established in 1985).
NHK Cosmomedia America, Inc.: Created by merging Japan Network Group (Media International Corporation) and NHK Enterprises America, Inc. on 1 April 2010, but its licence was granted on 12 November 2008. The company's logo was filed on 23 March 2010 and registered on 13 December 2011.
NHK Cosmomedia (Europe) Limited: Created by merging JSTV (company founded on 8 November 1989) 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).
Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (株式会社 放送衛星システム)/B-SAT: Established on 13 April 1993.
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.
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.
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).
NHK-Communications Training Institute (一般財団法人NHK放送研修センター): Established on 8 August 1985.
Former subsidiaries
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.
Services
Radio
It maintains two radio stations available nationwide:
NHK AM (previously as NHK Radio 1 and NHK Radio 2) – Broadcasts 24 hours and delivers news, information, weather forecasts, drama, and entertainment programs. It began its operations on July 12, 1925 as the first radio station in Japan and relaunched on 30 March 2026 (merger with NHK Radio 2). Its content and structure is similar to that of the UK's BBC Radio 4.
NHK FM – Organizes various music programs, but mainly classical music, with educational and liberal arts programs. Simultaneous broadcasting with AM counterpart is also conducted (24-hour broadcasting). It is comparable to the BBC's Radio 1, Radio 2, and Radio 3.
All two stations can be accessed through the internet, within the Japan's national borders.
Television
It manages two open signal channels through digital terrestrial television. Since Japan has a television network system, it schedules regional opt-out 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 as NHK BS 1 and NHK 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.