Friday, Oct. 6, 2006 The Japan Times
NHK picks fee refusers for courts to go after
Compiled from Kyodo, staff reports
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.
My comment: Do u think its legal for NHK to RANDOMLY pick non payers and target them for prosecution? its a bit UNFAIR from my point of view. lots of people don't pay NHK, they should change their system, make theirs services inaccessible to non-payers. its not supposed to be available to ALL, people who have TVs but don't actually watch programs, they shouldn't be maid to pay.
NHK picks fee refusers for courts to go after
Compiled from Kyodo, staff reports
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.
My comment: Do u think its legal for NHK to RANDOMLY pick non payers and target them for prosecution? its a bit UNFAIR from my point of view. lots of people don't pay NHK, they should change their system, make theirs services inaccessible to non-payers. its not supposed to be available to ALL, people who have TVs but don't actually watch programs, they shouldn't be maid to pay.
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コメント(5)
I totally disagree with the law that requires every household with a TV set to pay "subscription" fees to NHK, to begin with. I have no idea why those who don't watch NHK have to pay the fees no matter what.
What NHK should do is scramble their channels so only those who pay will receive their programs. That's probably not going to happen, though.
What NHK should do is scramble their channels so only those who pay will receive their programs. That's probably not going to happen, though.
I think forcing people to pay for network television is just plan gay. Seriously.. isn't that what advertisements are for? And like Sai said who knows were this money disappears to (most likely some undeserving exec's pocket). Makes me sick. What about all the people who have satellite or internet TV, and don't even bother watching NHK. Making them pay for something they don't even use is a bunch of BS.
あきら,
I believe there are two reasons NHK is very reluctant to change their scheme to "subscribers-only." What you sited, cost, is one of them. The other reason, which I believe is more crucial to them, is a change like that will drive way a lot of "existing customers" (i.e. those who don't watch NHK but are forced to pay the fees). I sure would be one of the first to get out of the NHK contracts if that were to happen.
I believe there are two reasons NHK is very reluctant to change their scheme to "subscribers-only." What you sited, cost, is one of them. The other reason, which I believe is more crucial to them, is a change like that will drive way a lot of "existing customers" (i.e. those who don't watch NHK but are forced to pay the fees). I sure would be one of the first to get out of the NHK contracts if that were to happen.
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