As he nears the six-month mark at the head of Japanese public broadcaster, NHK, new president Nobuo Inaba has the continuation of widespread reform at the top of his agenda along with the immoveable commitment to democracy and culture, and an eye on acquiring more international drama series and documentaries as part of a broader international outreach. He’s also elbow deep in prep for  NHK’s 100th anniversary in 2025, adopting even higher-tech production,  and overhauling NHK’s satellite channels.    

Navigating the future, Inaba is also staring at a programming slate that goes way way back into the past, bringing forth the type of large-scale, breathtakingly ambitious documentaries that only a handful of broadcasters around the world are willing – or able – to take on.

The Mars Project is one of the 100th anniversary flagship productions.

The project kicks off next year, when JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) launches a Mars probe, equipped with NHK’s 8K and 4K cameras, in a mission labelled MMX (Martian Moons eXploration).

The mission will collect samples that could provide vital information to solving the mystery of the formation of the planets in our solar system, NHK says.

Another mammoth production Inaba highlights as he settles into his new role is Human Age, which re-examines global issues confronting the world today from the perspective of human history.

Running alongside those is the development and production of flagship science and history titles for the coming year, including Nature’s Hidden Miracles, which uses the latest tech to reveal the true shape of the biodiversity built up by plants, insects, microbes and other organisms.

And then there’s Amazing Dinoworld II, which builds on recent findings that that dinosaurs may have survived the great meteor strike, and depics an alternative scenario for their extinction.

Both Nature’s Hidden Miracles and Amazing Dinoworld II are coproductions with international partners.

Upcoming history titles include Scan Pyramid – Secret Chambers of King Khafre, a sequel to the investigative documentary that revealed the internal structures of the Great Pyramid of King Khufu. The series used muons – subatomic particles contained in the cosmic space rays – along with advanced scanning technologies and 4K imagery to unveil new archaeological truths.

Scan Pyramid – Secret Chambers of King Khafre will also be an international co-production.  

“We are committed to making high-quality programmes that have global appeal,” Inaba tells ContentAsia  as he closes the first six months of his role as NHK president. 

His updated mission places even stronger emphasis on international co-production and acquiring foreign dramas and documentaries.

"Investing in outstanding foreign productions secures high-quality content for our audience and brings them in contact with diverse viewpoints and values from around the world," he adds. 

Inaba, most recently executive director for financial system stability and general manager at the Bank of Japan, has a clear mission as president of NHK: “to review the reforms that are now being implemented and develop them further so that NHK can pursue its role as a public service media”.

He is equally clear about NHK’s mission “to serve the public across Japan, providing a rich and high-quality broadcasting service while also maintaining independence and autonomy, and contributing to the development of healthy democracy and cultural improvement”.

Part of that is to “move NHK forward to produce even higher quality content in a cost-effective manner”.

And he’s doing that with 10% less revenue.

From October this year, the licence fee collected from all TV households in Japan is being trimmed as part of ongoing reforms.

“That will produce a temporary dip in revenues,” he says, adding: “But to permit the quality or volume of our services to drop for this reason would defeat the purpose of the structural reform. I want rather to seek ways to use digital technology to raise both the volume and the quality of our services. This includes expanded use of the digital archive, and digital revision of programme making processes from production to broadcast and distribution”.

Inaba says making use of digital technology "to raise both the volume and the quality of our services is vital".

He points to two new special events that underscore his view. 

This month, NHK rolls out a special exhibition where visitors can trace the creative processes of Antonio Gaudi as he designed and built the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. The VR content was created in partnership with French production house, Gedeon Programmes.

Last month, during the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, NHK presented a virtual reality tour that explored the interior of the Atomic Bomb Dome, a World Heritage site that is normally off-limits to the public.

"I think it helped people from all over the world understand the horror of nuclear weapons," Inaba says. 

"The capability to provide such new visual experiences is one of the big attractions of digital technology. By combining new technologies with the expertise of our team, I hope we can leverage the production of high-quality content. I also hope that the NHK Science and Technology Research Lab will further contribute to the offering of even more exciting content."

Another of NHK's missions is to contribute to education.

Inaba says NHK's educational programming "proved especially useful for home study during the Covid-19 pandemic".

This was followed in 2022 by the NHK Learning site, launched to provide educational content for people of all ages.

NHK's next corporate plan, which spans the financial years from 2024-2026, includes expanding international outreach.

“One of my personal hopes,” he says, “is to tell the world how contemporary Japanese people think, see and live”.

This wish builds upon NHK's programmes about Japan’s traditional culture, current politics and the economy. 

"However, I think we can do more to convey ordinary Japanese people’s points of view," he says, adding: "Japanese generally have a love for peace and nature, and work very diligently. I think it is meaningful to convey ordinary people’s way of life and share with the world how we Japanese view the world".

A version of this interview appeared in the 12-25 June 2023 issue of ContentAsia's eNewsletter