Tokyo: The internet has officially become the most used source of daily news in Japan, surpassing commercial television for the first time, as revealed by a survey conducted by the Japan Press Research Institute.
According to Philippines News Agency, the survey, which included a question about daily news sources added in fiscal 2018, showed that 46.5 percent of respondents chose the internet as their primary news source. This development marks a significant shift in the news consumption habits of the Japanese public, with commercial TV broadcasters, who traditionally held the top position, now trailing slightly behind at 46.1 percent.
The survey further detailed that the proportion of individuals who rely on TV services provided by the public broadcaster Japan Broadcasting Corp., known as NHK, stood at 35.8 percent. Meanwhile, newspapers and radio were chosen by 33.4 percent and 9.2 percent of respondents, respectively.
The survey also highlighted a continued decline in newspaper subscriptions, which fell by 3.7 percentage points from the previous year to 50.1 percent. This decline is part of a larger trend observed since fiscal 2008, when the subscription rate was recorded at 88.6 percent, marking a significant decrease in print media’s reach over the years.