(Japan) Do you need to pay to receive "broadcast satellite" TV channels?

Question

These are known as "BS" channels (BS-1, BS-2, BS-i, BS Nittele, etc.) but I didn't want to put this in the question line because Yahoo Answers might get the wrong idea!! =p

Anyhow, I know that to receive these channels, you must:
1. Buy a mini-dish and decoder thingy, obviously.
2. Pay a higher NHK licence fee.

But are there any other fees that you have to pay? For instance, monthly subscription fee?

(And no, I am not interested in WOWOW.)

Thanks!!

Of course, I am talking about reception from within Japan. (NOT overseas)

Answer 1

There is SkyPerfecTV! on both BS Digital and CS (communication satellite) that offers hundreds of channels including CNN and BBC International, most of which are pay TV.
I believe you need a different decoder for BS Digital, and a differet dish & decoder for CS.

http://www.skyperfectv.co.jp/en/

Answer 2

Yes. The BS stations are in the same category as the standard NHK stations (educational and general). Every home that has a TV is required to voluntarily pay their service fee. Which is about 1000 yen every two months, and the BS is about 1900 yen every two months. Why every two months? That is just the way they set up the payment system. Odd, yes. But that is Japan for you. You can have either someone come to your house/apt. every other month to collect payment, or you can remit the funds via your bank account.

Now, you may notice that I said, "required to voluntarily pay". Yes, that is an oxymoron, but that is the way it is here in Japan. There is no such thing as purely volunteering. Most of the voluntary things in Japan are mandatory. Paying for the NHK and BS is just one of the many state sanctioned extortion rackets being perpetrated on its citizens. And they just sit back and take it. Manditory car checks is another one. But back to BS.

Up until now, when an agent of BS or NHK came to your home, you could just say, "I don't want to pay." and they would leave you alone. But a law was just passed in the diet that makes it mandatory to pay the NHK and BS fees. If you don't you can be fined. And now that their broadcast system is going totally digital by 2011, they will have the ability to know who is getting their signal. If you get any BS signal, you will have to pay the full price. There are about 5 channels on the BS system, not including WOWOW. If you only get the main two, BS7 and BS11, you will still have to pay the 1900yen or so bi-monthly.

I have been refusing to pay because of the reason, it is not right to charge for something that is already free. I spoke to an NHK agent and he said that the main reason why they make people pay is because of the emergency service the channels provide. I asked him what if there was a blackout and TVs didn't work and the stations didn't broadcast, if we would get a refund? No answer. I further asked why they didn't charge people for having radios, since in a blackout, that would be the only mode of mass communication available, with battery operated radios and car radios still working. No answer.

But the fact remains that we are now required to pay the fees is we have a TV. Some people in Tokyo have refused, and penalties have been served. OUCH.

There are no additional monthly sign-up fees. Just the license fee you mentioned. BUT for the digital tuner, depending on the route you take, you will have to pay to either buy the decoder, or rent it. Buying is VERY expensive, so most people usually rent.

Hope that helps.

Answer 3

Hi... sorry I dont know really. I cant answer your questions. But am interested in contacting you coz I would like to know why you are interested in the Japanese channels....
Do you speak Japanese?
Are you Japanese?
I can speak Japanese.
I love talking in Japanese and I enjoy making Japanese foods....

Linn