Japan to Establish Panel to Discuss Governance of Broadcasters; Terrestrial Commercial Broadcasters to Be Main Focus of Panel Talks

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:15 JST, June 4, 2025

An expert panel will be established to discuss the governance of commercial broadcasters in response to a series of scandals involving Fuji Television Network, Inc., the government said Tuesday.

The panel will discuss specific measures to ensure the effectiveness of corporate governance with the aim of reaching a conclusion by the end of the year.

The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry plans to hold the panel’s first meeting later in June. It is currently selecting members, mainly experts in media-related legislation and company law.

The panel will also discuss what roles broadcasters, industry groups and the government should play.

In light of the Fuji Television scandal, terrestrial commercial broadcasters, including major broadcasters headquartered in Tokyo as well as local broadcasters, will be the main focus of the talks. The panel is not expected to have discussions on NHK, which relies on viewer fees as its main source of revenue.

“To restore public trust in broadcasting, it is necessary to establish measures to ensure sound governance under a framework based on the autonomy and self-discipline of broadcasters,” said Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Seiichiro Murakami at a press conference on Tuesday.