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Top court orders hotel operator to pay NHK broadcast fee

29 Comments

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NHK is going about this the wrong way. Ever since the system went digital here NHK could stop broadcasting to locations that do not have contracts with them.

Stop access to the channels, and those who dont want NHK won't have to pay, and those that do will.

19 ( +19 / -0 )

When you have the court rulings on your side you do not have to do what is right, you strong arm people to get your money to make your propaganda shows like NHK is doing

But since there is no penalty to NOT pay, no matter what the court rules does not mean that the hotel, or any other entity for that matter, will end up paying in the end.

When you make laws, normally anyway, you install a penalty system to ensure that people will follow them. But like with so many other "laws" here there is no penalty for non-compliance.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

@Yubaru Tell the court that, I doubt they will listen. When you have the court rulings on your side you do not have to do what is right, you strong arm people to get your money to make your propaganda shows like NHK is doing

6 ( +6 / -0 )

NHK is going about this the wrong way. Ever since the system went digital here NHK could stop broadcasting to locations that do not have contracts with them.

Stop access to the channels, and those who dont want NHK won't have to pay, and those that do will.

Only I'm guessing that given the choice, the overwhelming majority of the population can and will happily do well without NHK, and I suspect NHK KNOWS that very well, which is why they are pursuing these strongarm tactics. I would be VERY happy with that arrangement. Don't need nor like NHK. Abe and the LDP's mouthpiece. Those fascists in Kasumi Gaseki should fund NHK. Why should we pay for the LDP's propaganda?

They knocked on my door yesterday. Spoke to them through the intercom in English only. The guy asked me in ENglish if I have a TV and I said no and he went away.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Obedience: You make the mistake of assuming that Japanese courts base their decisions on logic. They do not.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Can anyone explain this to me....

The article states 'There is no penalty for not paying.'

The court has ordered the Hotel to pay.

The Hotel can just say 'Nope.' because there is no penalty for not paying?

This makes no sense; What am I missing??

5 ( +5 / -0 )

'There is no penalty for not paying', except when NHK takes you to court!?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

There is no penalty for not paying.

So, if there is no penalty for not paying, how can the supreme court order make the hotelier pay?

I have a beautiful 60" TV, which is connected to my Mac Mini computer. It is not connected to 'terrestrial' TV at all and never will be because Japanese TV is utter garbage! However, these NHK scalpers insist I have to pay their extortion fee. I have had many arguments with the scalpers when they come. I had one joker tell me I had to pay because I watch DVDs. I just laughed at him. I've had them get very aggressive and threaten me. I also had visit from them at 9:15pm on a Sunday night, which is illegal. I got my GF to call them on the following morning to complain about it and they started hassling her about paying. I will never pay because I never watch Japanese TV!

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Many forest tourists who don't understand more than 5 words in Japanese stay at hotels. They would never watch NHK. So basically their rate goes up per night to pay for NHK extortion?

You may as well call it protection money.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I would gladly pay for the 9pm news if they get rid of the very bad translator women for English. Also if they base the weather forecasts on facts.

when they come to my door and harass me, I tell them in English that I don’t use it for tv, it’s a computer monitor. Works.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

To my eye, the NHK fee law was designed by politicians who needed a way to fund various NHK activities so as to extend their political power over private enterprise, while having the public pay for it. The law was purposely created vague so as to be a tax in disguise and since the law is being used by the courts to destroy Japanese business, this fee sure looks like a tax to me. If NHK used a B-CAS form of payment, the fee would most likely be so outrageously high that no one would subscribe, hence the deception by creating the NHK fee law.

It seems that Japanese courts do not abide by their own NHK law in some rulings, for example : the IRANEHK-Wave cut filter, Kanto area (uhf26, 27ch) disables any device downstream from the filter making the TV unable to receive NHK, this includes all digital televisions, but yet courts rule against defendants using such filters that seemingly follow the law! There is also the matter of television CATV test equipment which does receive NHK and displays signal level, bit error ratio, and modulation error ratio about NHK but does not require a B-CAS card (test equipment that also displays an image requires a B-CAS card). Very odd reasoning by courts!

So displaying an image must be the criteria being applied since any 8 cm length of wire will have NHK and every TV or radio transmission induced into it. That piece of wire is also known as an antenna, which still receives an NHK signal even if nothing is attached to it.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

There are three things that are unavoidable in life - Japan version: death, taxes, and the NHK collector! :-)

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Knock knock

Who's there?

NHK collectors ma'am.

Ahahahahahahahahaaaaa

2 ( +4 / -2 )

I think the court's stance now is that while there is no punitive penalty for not paying, the court's can garnish wages, incur a civil debt, etc for the actual fees themselves. So NHK can get their money, just there is no direct penalty, per se, for not obeying.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The first TV manufacturer to offer TV’s without terrestrial reception capability will disrupt the market, become an instant market leader. Simply disable the chip with software.

Diet members can change the law anytime they want, but that would take guts, which are in short supply with all politicians.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I think you will be surprised at the actual number of people who believe it all too.

Hell no, not me, I live on the island where the media is so biased in one direction, and countless numbers of people have zero idea that there is another side to the story, and blindly believe what they read or see.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

It seems when the court rules against the individual and now the hotel, it's just a judgement that says you are guilty of not paying - which most of us are already guilty without having to go to court. But after said ruling, you then just go back to not paying as there is currently no penalty.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

serendipitous1Today  10:01 am JST

'There is no penalty for not paying', except when NHK takes you to court!?

> spinningplatesToday  12:01 pm JST

This makes no sense; What am I missing??

> > DisillusionedToday  10:54 am JST

There is no penalty for not paying.

So, if there is no penalty for not paying, how can the supreme court order make the hotelier pay?

There is still no penalty payment or "Baken", they have just ordered payment of the subscription fee,

for an installed total of 279 television sets in its hotels by August 2013.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The first TV manufacturer to offer TV’s without terrestrial reception capability will disrupt the market, become an instant market leader.

There are already TVs without built-in tuners - they're called tuner-free TVs

Since a lot of people don't watch over-the-air broadcasts anymore but instead go thru the internet or media servers

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I think you will be surprised at the actual numbers of people that count on NHK for news and information.

I think you will be surprised at the actual number of people who believe it all too.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Everyone in Japan does understand that the new 4k/8k TV systems starting in December 2018 is an all new digital television. At some point (2018-2025?) you will need to replace your television, satellite and any booster amplifiers just like everyone did with the change from analog TV to digital TV. CATV companies are installing fiber optics to the home (FTTH) to cope with this new technology although they sell it as really fast Internet speed (which it is). Apparently a lot of this new technology will also use an Android O.S. as a platform to roll-out a whole host of new services.

According to Cable-tec (Expo 2013, October 21-24, Atlanta, GA)

2k/4k/8k compatible TV set will be ready by 2020. 4k/8k is a new service rather than a migration Incumbents may remain.

“Incumbents” being current 2K terrestrial TV and current 2k CS satellite based system. But this is a maybe, as it appears that the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications plans to do tests to see if terrestrial TV (basic) can be converted over to the new 4k/8k system. The current CS can be changed to the new 4k/8k system in the future as well as augmented with additional channels.

Six current channels on BS satellite are planned to change to 4k/8k on December 1, 2018 (almost all are the current “free to air” channels) and BS channels will also be augmented with new channels. The new system set up by Japan government/NHK will allow about 50 new 4k/8k TV channels which explains why CATV companies are changing over the FTTH, NHK is pushing its fee (tax) in the courts so as to pay for technology that will make your current digital TV obsolete and Japanese judges issue rulings based on politics. So, who do you think is making all the money?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

NHK may attempt to coerce a subscriber to pay a debt but that is not so easy.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Japanese unelected bureaucrats and law makers pushing NHK's cunningly contrived law to force payment of television fees will ultimately hurt 4k Hi-vision sales and probably delay any implementation of 8k television in the future. It appears that 4k/8k technology will allow NHK to really bring the hammer down on people who don't want to watch NHK and therefore not pay the fee (tax). Unlike all the other Japanese broadcasters, NHK plays by different rules and has the opportunity by law to require the obedience of the masses in paying an ill-conceived yearly television tax, it also appears that all NHK legal and court costs are ultimately paid for by tax payers.

Japanese court decisions on this NHK law is so lacking in rigour that these judges may actually be aiding Japanese bureaucrats bring about economic harm to Japan since 4K/8K will be used in broadcasting, medical, cinema, art, and education in Japan and around the world. Billions and billions of Yen lost in the future (domestic and foreign sales), because NHK is so special as it does not want to use a B-CAS card system of payment?

What are NHK broadcasting and non-broadcasting ventures? What unpaid fees are NHK struggling with and what are NHK other sources of income? Is NHK the Japanese version of the Pentagon in the U.S.?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I pay the monthly fee as I watch portions of it. It is cheap. I refuse to pay for the satellite dish access though on the top of my building.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

There is still no penalty payment or "Baken", 

I think you want to say 罰金 which is "bakin" or fine.

Only I'm guessing that given the choice, the overwhelming majority of the population can and will happily do well without NHK, and I suspect NHK KNOWS that very well, 

I think you will be surprised at the actual numbers of people that count on NHK for news and information. As the Japan's national broadcaster they do have a huge following.

https://www.nhk.or.jp/bunken/english/reports/pdf/report_15091501.pdf

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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