Kids Web Japan

Q. What kind of TV shows do Japanese kids watch?

A.

On average, kids attending elementary schools (aged 6 to 12) watched two hours and 16 minutes of TV on weekdays in 2005. For junior high school students (aged 13 to 15) the average was two hours and 11 minutes.

Cartoons are big with elementary schoolchildren. So are broadcasts of baseball and soccer games. Programs about animals and quiz shows are often seen together with the entire family.

Girls aged 10 or over like watching their favorite stars on music programs, dramas, quiz and talk shows, and comedies. Boys and girls in their early teens often watch sports broadcasts in addition to music shows and dramas. The Shukan Kodomo Nyusu (Weekly News for Kids), which has been aired since 1994 on NHK (Japan's public broadcasting station), is also popular because it makes political and economic news easy to understand.

Sometimes TV programs are seen in the classroom. They can help explain difficult science and social studies problems. And a class might watch a TV drama that makes you think about what's right and wrong, which could then be discussed by students.

Webpage image courtesy of NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation).