How to ensure NHK's independence?

 December 21, 2013

Editorial: New NHK president must keep a close eye on authority

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/perspectives/news/20131221p2a00m0na004000c.html

Katsuto Momii, special advisor to Nihon Unisys Ltd., is set to succeed NHK President Masayuki Matsumoto, whose tenure expires Jan. 24. Momii is the third consecutive president to be recruited from outside the public broadcaster. However, it remains unclear how NHK's Board of Governors -- many of whom are close to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe -- arrived at their choice of Momii.

One might be tempted to question if there was any way for Matsumoto to serve another term. He should be credited for his managerial prowess over the past three years, including cutting NHK subscription fees, reducing the number of NHK employees and trimming their salaries, which were often criticized as being too high. All of these efforts were made in spite of the adversity accompanying the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

At the same time, NHK's news reports on issues including nuclear reactor restarts and Osprey deployment have been criticized as "biased" in political and business circles, though the broadcaster's coverage was by no means partial. In an opinion poll NHK conducted in July, nearly 80 percent of viewers said the broadcaster's programs in general were "fair and impartial." In spite of the results, Matsumoto decided to step down -- as if he had been cornered into doing so.

The NHK president is appointed with consent from nine out of the 12 members of the Board of Governors. "Recently, the selection of NHK presidents appear to rely upon personal connections with people in political and business circles," commented Satoshi Daigo, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo. Daigo is also a co-representative of a group called "NHK o Kanshi Gekirei Suru Shichosha Community" (Viewers' community for monitoring and encouraging NHK). Considering the run of appointments from business circles, Daigo's assessment makes sense.

But is this kind of approach desirable for picking out a president? Since those from business circles are often stakeholders in such social issues as restarting reactors, it is questionable whether they can maintain a neutral stance in reporting.

Momii is urged to stand firm in defense of fair and impartial public broadcasting, just as he pledged at a news conference on Dec. 20. To that effect, he should distance himself from politics and fulfill the role of keeping an eye on authority.

The enactment of the controversial special secrets protection law is a specific topic for consideration. Was NHK's coverage of the process leading to enactment of the law sufficient? We are not debating the pros and cons of the law, but rather stressing that viewers can make their own decisions only after the broadcaster has delved into problems arising from the law and sorted out the challenges. The public was frustrated that the law was hard to understand. Did NHK manage to respond to questions that viewers wanted to know about the legislation?

A challenge that remains for NHK is building a system of broadcasting programs on air and over the Internet simultaneously. If NHK is to collect viewing fees from all households across the country under such a system, the Broadcast Law needs to be revised, a task that would put the new president's caliber to the test.

Prime Minister Abe recently expressed his view that NHK should report on territorial issues more strategically. Such remarks should not intimidate workers at the public broadcaster. NHK is urged to maintain an environment in which employees can report the news and produce programs in a free atmosphere. Such a setting should ensure the medium's independence, guarantee the quality and appeal of its broadcasting, and lead to viewers' confidence.