Television Broadcasting Commemoration Day

What Is Television Broadcasting Commemoration Day?

Every February 1st is "Television Broadcasting Commemoration Day" in Japan. On February 1, 1953, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) launched Japan's first regular television broadcasts from its Tokyo television station, marking the beginning of the television age in Japan. This day celebrates that milestone and reflects on the extraordinary role television has played in Japanese society ever since.

The Dawn of Japanese Television

When NHK's first broadcast went on air at 2:00 p.m. on February 1, 1953, televisions were still rare luxury items — a single set cost the equivalent of a worker's monthly salary or more. Yet crowds gathered around "street televisions" (街頭テレビ, gaitō terebi) set up in public spaces to watch the new medium with wide-eyed amazement. Just six months later, Japan's first commercial broadcaster, Nippon Television (NTV), launched, and the competition to bring content into Japanese homes had begun in earnest.

Television and the Postwar Miracle

The spread of television through Japanese households in the late 1950s and 1960s mirrored Japan's rapid economic recovery. The "three sacred treasures" of the era — the washing machine, the refrigerator, and the television — became symbols of a rising middle class. Landmark moments like the 1959 wedding of Crown Prince Akihito and the 1964 Tokyo Olympics drove massive spikes in television sales, cementing the medium's place at the center of Japanese home life.

Television's Cultural Legacy in Japan

Japanese television gave rise to uniquely local formats — the variety show (バラエティ番組), the morning drama (朝ドラ), and the year-end musical extravaganza Kōhaku Uta Gassen — that remain cultural institutions decades later. Japanese animation (anime) and drama series also found global audiences through television, becoming one of Japan's most influential cultural exports.

Fun Facts About Japanese TV

• First words on air: NHK's first broadcast began with an announcer saying "只今よりNHKテレビの本放送を開始いたします" ("NHK television regular broadcasting now begins").
• Color TV arrived in 1960: NHK and NTV began color broadcasts on September 10, 1960, though color sets didn't become common in homes until the late 1960s.
• 4K and 8K broadcasting: Japan began 4K and 8K satellite broadcasts in December 2018, continuing its tradition of pushing the boundaries of broadcast technology.
• Most-watched single broadcast: The 1963 coverage of President Kennedy's funeral drew enormous audiences, demonstrating television's power to connect Japan with the world.

From Living Rooms to Screens Everywhere

In the streaming era, the definition of "television" continues to evolve — but February 1st remains a moment to appreciate the medium that shaped how generations of Japanese people learned about the world, laughed together, and shared in moments of national significance.