TV licence

NHK announces “substantial” fee reduction, Japanese Internet reacts with jeering

Most people wonder why they still bother charging any fee at all.

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Don’t want to pay your NHK TV licence fee? Beat Takeshi doesn’t think you should have to

In Japan, it’s mandatory to pay for a TV licence if you own a television set or device that can receive a broadcast signal. The money goes to NHK, Japan’s national broadcasting service. It’s much the same deal as in the UK, where your television licence funds the BBC.

But what if you don’t even watch any BBC or NHK channels? Should you still have to pay? Actor, director and outspoken comedian Beat Takeshi doesn’t think so – in fact, he’s calling for the option to “opt-out” of accessing Japan’s NHK’s programming for people who don’t want to pay the licence fee.

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