December 5, 2019

The broadcast industry is still largely male-dominant. The Japan Federation of Commercial Broadcast Workers’ Unions (Minpo-roren) recently released survey results showing that women accounted for only 23% of workers, 5% of board members, and 0% of chiefs of program production and news divisions in Tokyo-based TV stations.

Minpo-roren compiled data collected from its member unions in six Tokyo-based commercial TV companies between October 2018 and April 2019 as well as from materials published by the public broadcaster NHK in 2019.

According to Minpo-roren, the percentage of female workers in the TV companies stood at 22.6% on average, with the highest at 24.7% at Fuji Television Network and the lowest at 18.6% at NHK. Women made up 4.7% of board members on average and Tokyo Metropolitan Television Broadcasting Corporation had the highest percentage at 14.3%. Nippon Television Network Corporation, TV Asahi Corporation, and Fuji Television Network had all-male boards of directors.

Among the six commercial broadcasters, key divisions that produce news programs, dramas, and other TV shows were all headed by men. Data for NHK was not available.

Commenting on the survey results, Musashi University Professor Emeritus Kodama Miiko said that she was disappointed to know that nothing has changed in women’s influence in the broadcast industry since she conducted a similar survey 26 years ago. She said that it is particularly disappointing that women in executive positions are particularly non-existent.

Past related articles:
> Unionized female reporters issue joint statement condemning sexual harassment [April 22 & 24, 2018]
> Broadcast workers fight back against pressure from Abe gov’t [December 21, 2016]