The internet has become the main source of daily news in Japan, overtaking commercial television for the first time, a survey by the Japan Press Research Institute has shown.

When asked about which news source they use on a daily basis, a question added in fiscal 2018, 46.5% of respondents chose the internet, according to the latest survey, released Saturday.

Commercial TV broadcasters, which had previously held the top spot, came second, at 46.1%.

The proportion of those who picked TV services by public broadcaster NHK stood at 35.8%, while newspapers logged 33.4% and radio 9.2%.

The newspaper subscription rate fell 3.7 percentage points from a year earlier to 50.1%, continuing to decline since marking 88.6% in fiscal 2008, when the survey began.

Meanwhile, 42.5% of respondents said that commercial television influenced their voting decisions for an election of the House of Councilors, the upper chamber of the country's parliament, this July, topping the list.

By age group, the internet, excluding social media, was the top pick for those in their teens to 30s. For respondents in their 20s, short-form social media platforms, such as X, were more popular than newspapers and other forms of traditional media.

The latest survey, which covered 5,000 people age 18 or over nationwide, was conducted between July 18 and Aug. 17. Of them, 2,665 provided valid responses.