How many TV stations are there in Japan?

The number of private TV stations (excluding NHK) was 126 in 2003.
When television broadcasting started in 1953, NHK, Nippon Hoso Kyokai, was the only station and Tokyo was the only area where people could receive broadcasts.
There has been a rapid increase in the number of satellite broadcasting stations and cable TV stations using communications satellites.
The digitization of broadcasting in Japan is moving ahead.
Digital satellite broadcasts were set to begin in December 2000, while terrestrial digital broadcasting was introduced in the three major cities of Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya in 2003.
The rest of the country will follow in 2006.
With digitization, one receiver can be used to pick up broadcasts, for communication, and as a computer.
At the same time, the number of channels offered will increase dramatically, and
as more foreign media corporations move into Japan, it is expected that a ferocious battle to survive will result.