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The story
NHK has resumed door-to-door sales operations through an outside contractor — sales it discontinued in 2023 — NHK confirmed to reporters on the 21st. The broadcaster has posted deficits ever since cutting its fees that same year, and aims to boost fee revenue by strengthening its sales operations. NHK says it is expanding its in-person approach on a trial basis. On 5ch threads, there was a notable divide between practical tips on how to handle door-to-door reps and differing views over the fact that, while signing a receiving contract is a legal obligation under the Broadcast Act, there’s no criminal penalty for it — enforcement instead comes through civil lawsuits.
NHK has resumed outsourcing door-to-door sales visits aimed at signing new receiving contracts to an outside contractor, NHK confirmed to reporters on the 21st.
Contracted door-to-door sales were discontinued in 2023, but the broadcaster has posted deficits ever since that year’s fee cut, and is strengthening its sales operations to boost fee revenue.
NHK explained: “We have decided to expand our in-person approach on a trial basis.”
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Read the original article here
What people said
And they ask over and over again.
It's stipulated by law.
The fee collectors can't enjoy this job either.
These days both the ruling party and the opposition all support NHK fee collection.
I'm already paying the monthly fee under my actual (under-renovation) home address, lol.
and the average employee salary is 18 million yen
yet they still show up at your door like debt collectors.
Commercial TV is boring anyway, so it can't be helped.
yeah, we can't agree on the monthly amount, so I guess I can't sign the contract
I intend to pay, but signing a contract is a matter of free will, you know.
But if you go tuner-less, nobody complains.
If they don't leave, that's unlawful refusal to leave (a crime).
If they let themselves in, that's trespassing.
If they try to force you into a contract, that's coercion.
Poor saps who don't realize the person being asked to sign overwhelmingly has the upper hand.
The contract is mandatory because it's stipulated by law.
Visiting over and over to see who breaks first first
— that's the process from their side, after all.
You're never going to become that, though.
They'd make more money moonlighting as luxury car thieves.
That's exactly why I'm saying such an outdated law should be revised immediately.
That's the Diet's (the legislature's) job.
Wasn't there no penalty for it, though?
I can't understand anyone who'd actually go through with that.
And you don't even have the guts to switch to a tuner-less set.
Whether there's a penalty: The Broadcast Act itself has no direct criminal penalty (fine or imprisonment) for owning a TV and not signing a contract. However, as noted above, there is a legal risk of being compelled via civil lawsuit to sign a contract or pay unpaid fees.
And that just repeats over and over.
Once you send them away, they won't come back for at least six months, so you'll be fine.
Actually, nobody's come to my place in almost 10 years now.
It's a business for them too, so they target people who look like easy marks.
Firmly repeat "I don't have one" a few times and they'll give up fast.
there are multiple contracted companies, so it's just someone from a different company next time — nothing changes.
Background and key points of this discussion
Under Article 64 of the Broadcast Act, NHK’s receiving contract requirement obligates any household with a receiving device to sign a contract, but the article itself contains no criminal penalty provision — if someone refuses to pay, NHK must file a civil lawsuit, and only once a verdict is finalized is the contract considered established. This system design — “there’s an obligation, but no criminal penalty” — fueled a divide in the thread between posters arguing “the contract is legally mandatory” and those arguing “since there’s no penalty, you don’t have to comply.” Some posts also pointed to the string of lawsuits involving Takashi Tachibana, former leader of the “Party to Protect the People from NHK,” which have built up case law around receiving contracts and non-payment. The deficits following the 2023 fee cut are cited as the direct reason for resuming door-to-door sales, but the original article doesn’t detail the specific sales tactics used by the contracted companies or the quality of their approach — how much the “in-person approach” actually gets ramped up remains to be seen in practice.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “NHK resumes door-to-door sales visits it discontinued in 2023, aiming to boost fee revenue by strengthening its sales operations.”
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