Japan: In land of avid TV watchers, American dramas steal the show
Even Toyota has pulled ads from Japanese shows as American TV imports grow increasingly popular.
DVDs of American shows in Tokyo.
Takehiko Kambayashi
鈥� A local, slice-of-life story from a Monitor correspondent.
The Japanese, perhaps the world鈥檚 most avid TV watchers, are getting hooked on American television dramas. Current and past series such as 鈥�24,鈥� 鈥�Alias,鈥� 鈥淟ost,鈥� 鈥淗eroes,鈥� 鈥淏ones,鈥� 鈥淭he Closer,鈥� 鈥�Prison Break,鈥� and many others have eclipsed their Japanese counterparts and become a large presence in DVD rental stores, the primary way Japanese viewers have access to these shows.
This is bad news for the Japanese television industry, which is suffering as more companies cut advertising in the face of the prolonged economic slump. Last year, even Toyota announced it would slash its advertising by up to 30 percent.
But the biggest problem facing Japanese media is their production of poor-quality and 鈥渕any harmful and vulgar TV programs,鈥� says Sadahiko Sugaya, chairman of TV Tokyo. More domestic TV viewers are attracted to US products with their unusual plot lines and big-scale productions, says Misako Wakai, who handles foreign dramas at SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation, a digital satellite TV provider. Viewers can choose to watch the American shows dubbed or with subtitles in Japanese.
鈥淐ertainly, 鈥�24鈥� is a driving force of the boom,鈥� says Ms. Wakai. Another appeal for Japanese viewers: The 鈥渓ead character [on American shows] has some specific profession such as a CTU [Counter Terrorism Unit] agent in 鈥�24鈥� and a forensic anthropologist in 鈥楤ones,鈥� while those of Japanese TV dramas are a college student or ordinary worker. They have something really attractive that Japanese counterparts don鈥檛,鈥� says Wakai.
The Hollywood writers鈥� strike in 2007-08 is another factor in the success of American TV shows, says Takeo Itami, a public relations official at Geo Corporation, which operates a major rental DVD shop. 鈥淭he [movie] vacuum was filled by American TV dramas,鈥� he says.
鈥淚鈥檓 so addicted,鈥� says Toshihiko Tsunenaga, a medical school student and big fan of Jack Bauer, the main character in 鈥�24.鈥� 鈥淚鈥檝e been pretty busy keeping up with them.鈥�