The agenda for discussing reform of the broadcasting business, spelled out by the Cabinet Office's regulatory promotion council in mid-April, touches little on the major overhaul that the government was earlier reported to be contemplating, including a contentious abolition of Article 4 of the broadcast law that requires broadcasters to ensure political fairness in their programs. At the reform council's meeting, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe emphasized the time is ripe for exploring measures toward reform "since the wall that separates broadcasting from telecommunication is fast disappearing." But as the situation stands, a policy proposal to be compiled by the council next month is not likely to include drastic steps.
It is believed that the government has shelved the contemplated reforms for now in the face of stiff opposition from commercial broadcasters. Rapid advances in telecommunications technology, such as sharply faster internet speeds, are indeed lowering the distinction between conventional and online broadcasters — while the latter are not regulated under the broadcast law. The idea behind the originally considered reforms was reportedly to allow more businesses to enter the broadcast business through the deregulation. The issue should be thoroughly discussed from scratch with a focus on what regulatory regime would best contribute to maintaining and creating broadcast content that serves the interests of viewers.
Article 4 of the broadcast law states that a broadcaster shall not negatively influence public safety and morals, shall be politically fair, shall not distort the facts and shall clarify the points at issue from as many angles as possible when there are conflicting opinions. The internal affairs and communications minister can, according to government interpretations, suspend the use of radio waves by TV and radio broadcasters or take other administrative measures if they are deemed to have violated the provision. Some in the broadcast industry reportedly favor abolishing the article for fear that politicians and bureaucrats could abuse the provision and put pressure on broadcasters airing programs critical of the government. But others have expressed concern that eliminating the provision could result in a proliferation of more biased programs.