COMMUNITY VOICE: Mini FM Stations Multiply Across Japan September 6, 2001 Community FM radio stations broadcasting to small areas are sprouting up all across Japan. These stations are proving very popular among local residents because they provide community-based news and invite local participation. These mini stations normally serve as audio versions of town gazettes and magazines. In case of a disaster, moreover, such stations can be used by local authorities to communicate important information and instructions. There were 144 community FM stations in Japan as of August 2001, and this number continues to grow steadily. Almost all 47 prefectures now have at least one local broadcaster. The first of these was established in 1992, when community FM broadcasting was liberalized, provided it did not interfere with existing FM frequencies. Today, however, the plethora of mini FM stations is beginning to encroach on the roles conventional radio has been playing. A Nationwide Phenomenon One reason behind the success of local stations is their community-based content. The city of Hirosaki in Aomori Prefecture, whose main product is apples, is the home of Apple Wave radio. Every Monday, from 3:15 p.m., Apple Wave airs a talk show hosted by two women from apple-growing households. Speaking in the local Tsugaru dialect--which is virtually unintelligible to outsiders--they talk about topics ranging from work fashion to genetically modified food. A large number of residents of Tama, a bedroom suburb of Tokyo, originally hail from other parts of the country. Its local station, FM Tama, thus features a program called Furusato Tanbo (Exploring My Hometown) every Sunday from 11 a.m. in which Tama residents visit the towns and villages of their youth and report on the local customs, dialects, and traditional culture. Listeners say the program makes them nostalgic, even when it is about somebody else's hometown. From 10 p.m. on Saturdays, FM Setagaya, located near central Tokyo, airs a program titled High School Hot Party. Local high school students, with their city-bred sensitivities, are responsible for the content, from song selection to disc jockeying. The show gives youths--not only from Setagaya and other parts of Tokyo but also from neighboring prefectures--the opportunity to perform their own songs or show off their hobbies and skills.   Your Name What did you think of this article? It was interesting. It was boring. Send this article to a friend FM-MiMi in the city of Fukuoka entered into a "sister radio" relationship with China's Dalian Broadcasting and TV Bureau in May 2001. Being geographically close to mainland Asia, Fukuoka has strong ties with other Asian countries. In the coming years, FM-MiMi will utilize the arrangement with Dalian Broadcasting to enrich its programming on Japan-China friendship. Emergency News About three-fifths of Japan's mini stations are operated by organizations established jointly by the local government and the private sector. Many local authorities are enthusiastic about these undertakings because of the role community stations played in the wake of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995, keeping citizens updated on news about shelters and other topics. Therefore, joint public-private stations all have agreements regarding the provision of emergency information in case of a disaster. Until recently kairanban, or circulated bulletins, were the major medium for sharing information within a community. Owing to such societal factors as eroding community ties and a growth in the number of dual-income families, however, the use of the kairanban is being increasingly abandoned today, noticeably in large urban areas. In the not-too-distant future, community radio stations may come to serve as the primary link for members of a community. Copyright (c) 2001 Japan Information Network. Edited by Japan Echo Inc. based on domestic Japanese news sources. Articles presented here are offered for reference purposes and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.