Do I have to pay for NHK TV?
Damn! All television viewers in Japan are “asked” to pay a monthly fee for NHK (Japanese Public Television) services, but but foreigners just ignored it because there was no penality for not paying till now….
NHK to press for subscription fee payments through summary court
japan today > japan > national Friday, October 6, 2006 at 05:00 EDT
TOKYO —NHK Chairman Genichi Hashimoto said Thursday that people who refuse to pay their viewer subscription fees will be pressed for payment through summary courts if they fail to pay by the end of this month…. Viewers’ property may be seized if they do not follow summary courts’ demand for payment.
The deal is that because of the fraud and money scandals of NHK Company, many Japanese people are very angry and stopped paying their fees. The national broadcaster—think of it as Stalinist/JapanInc version of the BBC—was fast going bankrupt. So now NHK is going to start busting down door and forcing people to pay. NHK service fees: 14,910 yen to 40,430 yen per year ($127 to $343 USD) WARNING! THIS IS OLD INFO….
Q: Do I have to pay for NHK TV?
A: Nope.
Like the BBC in Great Britain, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK TV changes fees of everyone with a TV in Japan. Unlike the BBC, Japan’s fees are not “manditory” since NHK does not have a way to force people to pay with fines or arrest. NHK goes door to door to collect—often with amusing results when they try to collect from foreigners who cannot be bullied or shamed into paying like the pavid Japanese.
Remember: NHK—Just Say No.(c)
However, note that the new digital TV will not show NHK unless you pay the fees since new digital signal is scrambled. Also according to the the Japan SAQ: [NHK door-to-door collectors] “are generally very aggressive and threatening, usually sticking their foot in the door so that you can’t close it on them, and somehow giving you the impression that dire consequences will ensue if you do not pay promptly. … (be careful if you have a satellite dish though).”
1.17 million subscribers refuse to pay NHK fee
According to NHK, there were a total of 201,000 new cases of refusal to pay or suspension of payment of the fee in the June-July period….An increasing number of viewers say they do not want to pay the fee because it is unfair that they pay while many others do not, rather than because of the scandals. There is no penalty for not paying the fee….
Refer also to the previous 3Yen reports: Japan’s NHK public TV is “unnecesary and Boycott NHK! 700,000 public TV subscribers wise up.
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September 11th, 2005 at 5:13 pm
And what can I do if they already withdraw money from my account? Can I simply cancel the automatic withdraw? To who should I contact in NHK to cancel my payment? — after removing the TV tunners, in order to be within the law of course.
September 19th, 2005 at 5:13 pm
Thank you, for setting the record straight, once and for all. I wish all foreigners in J. would read this. And, as for those assholes sticking their foot in the door, a well-aimed sledge-hammer “accidentally” dropped on their toes would probably discourage them from trespassing, in the future.
November 20th, 2005 at 6:35 pm
http://www.nhk.or.jp/english/fee.html
Tough there is no legal repercussions, it looks like fees must be paid.
December 13th, 2005 at 11:34 pm
THE ZEIT GIST
The NHK man cometh
The Japan Times: Dec. 13, 2005
As the broadcaster threatens to sue those who don’t pay fees, drastic steps may be necessary
NHK, Japan’s beleaguered national broadcaster, is facing revenue losses of around 50 billion yen yen for this fiscal year as a result, it says, of people refusing to pay their subscription fees.
At the moment, the NHK fee (1,395 yen a month for terrestrial broadcasts) is mandatory under the law.
Bizarrely, however, there is no penalty if you don’t pay.
But with nearly a million Japanese households refusing to put up the cash, NHK is planning some drastic measures to to crack down on delinquent TV owners who fail to pay their viewer fees to the pushy guy on the moped.
In September, it announced that it may take people to court for nonpayment.
We therefore felt it necessary to draft a list of guidelines to help those who don’t feel like forking out for NHK documentaries on cheese-making, squirrels and Finland anytime soon.
Don’t answer the door
This is an obvious solution, but not without its drawbacks.
Our (ahem) research indicates that this strategy can lead to Christmas parcels being sent back to the sorting office and potential hot dates evaporating into a frigid mist.
And you should also brace yourself for some protracted bouts of irate doorbell abuse; those moped guys are very spirited.
Lack of trust
The broadcaster has been involved in a number of damaging embezzlement scandals this year.
One producer reportedly pocketed 48 million yen yen in fictitious production funds.
As a result, when the NHK man calls to your home and demands your subscription fee, tell him you can’t be sure he won’t just spend the money you give him on pachinko, and tell him you’ll be calling round to NHK in person to drop off the money.
March 3rd, 2006 at 1:44 pm
yeah, this is horiemon-esque advice. If by “have to pay” you mean, will I go to jail or pay a fine if I dont? No, you don’t.
If you mean is there a law on record that says that those who watch are legally required to pay? Yes, there is such a law.
By all means, encourage japan’s gaijin population to be anti-social, and to exploit the loopholes in the law. It’s not like they give a shit about the country.
May 15th, 2006 at 1:15 pm
I am a regular viewer of NHK Japan, for I am studying Japanese Language.
From the last week I am not able to get the NHK channel. I heard that broadcasting frequency has been changed.
Please send me the details of the frequency so that I can watch once again the NHK and enrich my Japanese Language proficiency.
Looking forward to your cooperation.
Regards,
Sovan Sen
India
February 28th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
The thing is, sometimes, these door-to-door collectors are asking for sums that even exceed the duration of the stay of mansion-staying foreigners.
Sovan, if you would like to continue receiving broadcasts, contact NHK. It might be that “you” owe NHK several months (or years) worth of subscription.
P.S. Asking for a frequency, and manually re-configuring your equipment may even be considered a serious crime.