Books and magazines

Japan is home to one of the oldest existing printed works in the world, the Hyuakumantō darani (“Mantras of the Million Pagodas”), produced in 770 ce. Printing with moveable type was introduced into Japan from Europe and from the Korean peninsula at the end of the 16th century. Books began to reach a wider audience in the latter half of the 18th century, during the Edo period, but a mass market did not emerge until a century later, when new printing techniques became available at the beginning of the Meiji period.

A great many magazines were launched during the Meiji, a number of which became the cornerstones for some of Japan’s large present-day publishing houses. Notable among these is the Kōdansha publishing house. Several thousand magazines are published annually, with the majority of these being monthlies. The genre of Japanese comic books, manga, is immensely popular in the country and has influenced a worldwide audience.

The Japanese are voracious readers, with one of the world’s highest per capita consumption rates for books and periodicals. Japan ranks as one of the major book-publishing countries in the world, and Tokyo is the center of the Japanese publishing industry. Tens of thousands of book titles are published annually, covering a very wide variety of fields. Literature accounts for roughly one-sixth of all titles, and interest in new books is fanned by the many literary prizes offered. The most prestigious awards are the Akutagawa Prize and the Naoki Prize.

The press

Japan’s first modern newspapers also appeared early in the Meiji period, beginning with the Yokohama mainichi shimbun (1871) and followed by the Yomiuri shimbun (1774) and the Asahi shimbun (1879). Also established at that time was Nihon keizai shimbun (1876), Japan’s foremost business daily.

The role of newspapers has continued to be of great importance. Japan’s largest dailies rank among the highest in the world in circulation, and all the large papers are generally considered to maintain high editorial standards. Major newspapers print both morning and evening daily editions, and daily circulation is high; the largest papers each have daily press runs of several million. A number of newspapers have nationwide circulation, and some local papers also have large circulations. Kyōdō Tsūshinsha and Jiji Press are Japan’s largest news agencies.

Radio and television

Regular radio broadcasting in Japan began in 1926 with the establishment of the nonprofit Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (NHK; Japan Broadcasting Corporation), which until the end of World War II was completely under government control and had a monopoly on the airwaves. Changes to broadcasting laws in 1950 prohibited the government from direct interference with programming—though its board of governors is still appointed by the prime minister and its budget approved by the Diet—and permitted the establishment of private commercial broadcasting stations. NHK is now a public corporation financed by license fees that are paid by television-set owners. It broadcasts quality, commercial-free programming on both radio and television. The first commercial radio stations began broadcasting in 1951.

Regular television broadcasts by NHK began in 1953 and by commercial stations in 1955. NHK began broadcasting overseas radio programs in 1953; it now produces radio broadcasts in dozens of languages and provides satellite television broadcasting that reaches most of the world. Private commercial broadcasting has gained widespread popularity in Japan. The wide variety of private radio and television networks, many of them owned by newspaper companies, augments the NHK channels. In addition, satellite and cable television reception is common, as is digital broadcasting. Japan has been a pioneer in the development of high-definition television (HDTV).