Incoming NHK Chief Vows to Stop Viewer Fee Revenue Drop

Tokyo, Dec. 9 (Jiji Press)–Tatsuhiko Inoue, the next president of Japan Broadcasting Corp., or NHK, pledged Tuesday to make utmost efforts to stop its viewer few revenue from declining. “I am committed to securing human resources and halting the decline of viewer fee revenue at any cost to uphold our unwavering mission as the country’s public broadcaster,” Inoue, currently NHK’s executive vice president, told a press conference in Tokyo. NHK has suffered losses for two years in a row through fiscal 2024 due partly to cuts in viewer fees. Inoue expressed his determination to “put maximum effort” into helping NHK return to profitability. He will be the first NHK president from within the broadcaster in 18 years. Inoue is set to assume the post Jan. 25 next year. All six people who served in the top NHK post after Genichi Hashimoto stepped down as president in 2008, including incumbent Nobuo Inaba, were business leaders. Inoue, who joined NHK in 1980, has served as its political news desk chief and president of subsidiary Broadcasting Satellite System Corp. before taking up the current post in 2023. In response to concerns that the former political news reporter is close to the political circles, the incoming NHK leader said, “If we succumb to pressure from politicians, that would mean we lose our foundation as a news organization.” He emphasized his resolve to “protect (NHK’s neutrality) to ensure that the public broadcaster is trusted.” NHK faces a host of challenges, including a decline in subscriptions due to the country’s shrinking population, a shortage of human resources and online program distribution, which became its mandatory service in October. “I will transform NHK into a well-built organization through the utilization of artificial intelligence and work process reforms,” Inoue said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]