By HIROKI ITO/ Staff Writer
March 9, 2022 at 17:44 JST
NHK Broadcasting Center in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) announced on March 8 that its “NHK World--Japan” broadcasts in Russia have been suspended due to the Russian government's moves to tighten control over the media.
NHK’s international TV service in English was suspended from an early hour that day Japan time, which was in the evening of March 7 in Russia.
An agency in Russia that NHK commissions to provide the TV service in the country informed it that the broadcasting had to be suspended due to the Russian government’s crackdown on the media.
According to NHK, via the agency, “NHK World--Japan” broadcasts are provided to approximately 18 million households in Russia through satellite or cable TV.
NHK announced in Japan the suspension on its newscast “News Watch 9” aired on the night of March 8.
It also said during the program that its agency in Russia had explained to it that the country’s decision to list Japan as one of 48 countries and regions that it deems as “unfriendly” toward it is also behind the decision to suspend the service.
However, viewers in Russia still can watch “NHK World--Japan” TV programs online, which are streamed simultaneously, or listen to NHK’s international radio programs in Russian or English.
NHK’s international broadcasting service has also been suspended in Myanmar since February 2021 due to the military’s control of information channels in the Southeast Asian nation.
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