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June 1999 Report compiled by the Panel of Experts on Young People and Broadcasting Introduction From May to December 1998, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications held a series of meetings as part of "Study Group for Research on Young People and Broadcasting" to consider what each person engaged in the broadcasting business in the 21st century should do to meet the challenges posed by young people, which may be refered to as "the youth problem" with juvenile deliquency as a prime exemple. The following proposals were tabled by the Group: 1) enhancement of broadcast programs for young people; 2) improvement of media literacy; 3) promotion of research on young people and broadcasting; 4) utilization of third-party organizations and etc.; 5) consideration of broadcast time; 6) improvement in the provision system of program information; and 7) V-chip. The proposals were based on the following viewpoints: 1) what measures should be taken in Japan as a developed nation with respect to broadcasting and as a nation that has ratified the UN treaty on the rights of children; 2) what voluntary measures should be taken by broadcasters at their own discretion; 3) how mutual trust between broadcasters and viewers can be further promoted. The "Panel of Experts on Young People and Broadcasting" was jointly initiated by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT), the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), and the National Association of Commercial Broadcasters in Japan (NAB) in January 1999 with the objective of realizing the above-mentioned proposals. Members of the panel exchanged views from various aspects, which included conducting interviews with academics on basic ideas, and the ways of putting the proposals into practice on the basic premise that young people control their own rights. Furthermore, based on these views, the MPT, NHK, and NAB presented their own policy views on how to deal with the "youth problem." Needless to say, the panel cannot resolve all the problems of youth and broadcasting discussions on the appropreate steps broadcasting should take need to be on-going. The panel hopes that relevant organizations can seriously begin to address the problems of young people and broadcasting and find ways to tackle these problems.
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