Expectations towards International Television Broadcasting
Now, let me summarize what I would like to say in the rest of my address this evening.
The first of my points I have already mentioned tonight, namely that I would like to see us redoubling our efforts to market modern Japanese culture more assertively.
The second point is that I would like to see us clearly delineate the roles of you in the private sector and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and create a positive reciprocal relationship.
Third, I would like to explain why the new cultural diplomacy which would result from an expansion of that scenario would be an all-Japan type of effort. Then, in conclusion, based on all of this, I would like to note some innovative directions that I see emerging.
So, coming back to my first point, I would like to summarize for you what is happening in the area of marketing modern Japan. Recently the Ministry of Foreign Affairs set up the Overseas Exchange Council to examine how to do exactly that and also what areas we should be starting with.
Mr. Fujio Cho, Vice-Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation, is serving as the Chair of the Council, and the Council also includes Mr. Yusuke Okada, former actor and President of Toei Company, Mr. Osamu Kamei, Executive Director of Shogakukan, and Mr. Osamu Sato, President of Pony Canyon. We are very fortunate to be receiving the assistance of these prominent individuals whom, frankly speaking, the Ministry has not interacted with much in the past.
It is my personal hope that in its early stages, the Council will focus in particular on how to advance TV broadcasts abroad that enable viewers to learn more about Japan in English.
You go abroad and after a long day you arrive at your hotel and are happy to see that you can watch NHK. You slowly reach to switch on your TV, and what do you find being broadcast but a singing contest or something of that nature. Compare that to the other channels offering BBC or CNN and you canft help but notice how great the contrast is.
Of course NHK is also making various efforts to increase its rate of English-language programming in its international channels, but NHKfs main task is to provide programming for Japanese audiences, seeing as it receives viewing fees from the Japanese public. So the content of its programs for overseas audiences has also been designed in consideration of the needs of Japanese abroad, as a matter of necessity.
The fact is, unless we create an English-language channel for viewers who are not Japanese, there is no way that this will be a tool for us in our cultural diplomacy.
Efforts are already underway in China and South Korea in particular. The trend of the times even has France\France, the country which has pursued so strongly a policy of French first and foremost\talking about creating an English-language channel for overseas audiences. I very much hope to see Japan creating at the earliest possible time a television channel that conveys Japan-related content to viewers in English 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
At the risk of repeating myself here, the reason why I feel this way is that conveying to the world more extensively a true-to-life image of modern Japan and the Japanese people will gradually increase the depth of support that exists for Japanese diplomacy.
We have all grown up nourished by Shakespeare and Beethoven and other forms of culture emerging from the West. Yet we are now at the point where culture made in Japan\whether anime and manga or sumo and Japanese food culture\is equally able to nourish the people of the world, particularly the younger generations. We would be remiss not to utilize these to the fullest.