This page is no longer being updated. It was last updated on 20 March 2023
Japan's broadcasting scene is technologically advanced and lively, with public and commercial media in keen competition. Traditional media are more influential than news websites.
Five TV companies, including public NHK, run national terrestrial networks. Most of NHK's funding comes from licence fees. Many millions of viewers subscribe to satellite and cable pay TV.
News, drama, variety shows and sport – especially baseball – have big audiences. Imported TV shows are not widely shown, but Western influences are apparent in domestic TV fare.
Newspapers are influential and highly trusted. National dailies sell in their millions, boosted by afternoon and evening editions. Some charge for online access.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says that "tradition and business interests often prevent journalists from completely fulfilling their role as watchdogs".
Under the traditional kisha kurabu (press club) system, institutions such as government ministries and corporate organizations have restricted the release of news to journalists and media outlets with membership in their clubs, says NGO Freedom House.
But it notes that in recent years online media and weekly news magazines have challenged the daily papers' dominance with more aggressive reporting.
Line, co-developed by Japan and Korea, is by far the leading social and messaging application with over 94 million users. YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are widely used.
There were 118.6 million internet users by July 2022, comprising 93% of the population (Internetworldstats.com).
Media guides by BBC Monitoring, external
Asahi Shimbun, external – daily, English-language pages
Yomiuri Shimbun, external – daily, English-language pages
Mainichi Daily News, external – English-language pages
Sankei Shimbun, external – daily
Nikkei Asian Review, external – English-language pages
The Japan Times, external – English-language
NHK, external – public, operates General TV, Educational TV. NHK World is a global English-language network
TV Asahi, external – national, commercial
Fuji TV, external – national, commercial
Nippon TV (NTV), external – national, commercial
Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS), external – national, commercial
NHK, external – public, operates news/speech-based Radio 1, cultural/educational Radio 2, classical music-based FM Radio, external service Radio Japan
Inter FM, external – Tokyo commercial music station
J-Wave, external – Tokyo commercial music station
Tokyo FM, external – Tokyo commercial network
TBS Radio, external – operated by Tokyo Broadcasting System
Kyodo, external – English-language pages
Japan Today, external – online news, in English
'My son could so easily have been another Nottingham killer'
People urged to fix energy bills as prices fall
Ship footage captures sound of Titan sub imploding
On the South African road incorrectly identified as a 'burial site' by Trump
'Chagos surrender' and 'Shipshape Kate'
The Bitcoin hum that is unsettling Trump's MAGA heartlands
What not to miss at Radio 1's Big Weekend 2025
Putting up asylum seekers in Hull's Royal Hotel still divides the city
U2: 'We want to make the sound of the future'
Weekly quiz: What song won Eurovision?
What we know about Israeli embassy staff shooting
Politics Essential: Get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox every weekday
Catching dangerous offenders with sex workers' help
Yinka Bokinni explores the life of Sean 'Diddy' Combs
A unique perspective on a turbulent year in the Lake District
Daisy May Cooper's brilliantly twisted comedy thriller
Man in Norway wakes to find huge container ship in garden
Ship footage captures sound of Titan sub imploding
People urged to fix energy bills as prices fall
Olly Murs pulls plug on Glasgow show in stage walk-off
Labubu fan fury after dolls pulled from stores
The Bitcoin hum that is unsettling Trump's MAGA heartlands
Denmark to raise retirement age to highest in Europe
Netanyahu accuses Starmer of being on 'wrong side of humanity' and siding with Hamas
'My son could so easily have been another Nottingham killer'
'Chagos surrender' and 'Shipshape Kate'
Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.