NHK, Subscription Fees, and My Modest Resistance: Memories of the Era When Television Came into Our Homes (1960s-70s)

NHK, Subscription Fees, and My Modest Resistance: Memories of the Era When Television Came into Our Homes (1960s-70s)

Back then, I still had only one television set in my room. Behind a dusty glass screen, men read the news in an orderly fashion and actresses danced with smiles on their faces. NHK and commercial broadcasters were all on the same screen, but to my eyes the differences were not small.

Discussions about whether or not to pay the subscription fee were common at barbershops and student gatherings in town. Everyone complained about it. It's boring," "biased," "useless," and so on. But I was thinking. I thought that it was not reasonable to criticize without paying. If you want to complain, you should pay first. It wasn't just a sense of obligation. To be involved, to take responsibility for one's life, that was the justice I believed in.

NHK was a seemingly serious broadcaster, but it took courage to trust it. Commercial broadcasters were beholden to their sponsors, but NHK at least took responsibility by taking money. I saw value in that. Not only to watch, but to support. It is because I support them that I can criticize them. That is how I thought of my position as a viewer.

If you want to complain, pay first. I still remember the cold stares I received from those around me when I said that. But it took that kind of resolve to face the huge voice of television as a consumer. You must never stop asking questions, even if you don't get an answer. It was a small battle in life. Public life has always been a form of quiet resistance for me.