The letter headlined "TV force-feeding trash to viewers" in the Sept. 20 edition attempting to demean the totality of NHK-TV broadcasts ("worthless programing . . . obviously created by right-wing old men") only betrays the woeful ignorance of its author. The writer would have been well-advised to spend a little time examining the schedules of the four NHK-TV channels to learn what is offered.
Among the programs are news broadcasts from other countries in the original language or in Japanese, local and international sports events in their entirety, foreign documentaries and feature films in the original language with Japanese subtitles, broadcasts for children and for studying a foreign language, those featuring popular or classical music and, not least, news reports by NHK's own correspondents in foreign capitals.
That Japanese TV features a lot of trash is undeniable (has the writer seen much recent American TV?), but to tar all NHK programs with that brush is not only wrong, it is fatuous.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.