Editing History of broadcasting (section)

=== Japan ===
The first radio station in Japan was JOAK, which opened in Tokyo in March 1925.  It was founded by Masajiro Kotamura, an inventor and engineer. It was unique in that at least one of its announcers was a woman, Akiko Midorikawa.<ref>{{cite news|title=Station JOAK of Japan|newspaper=Boston Herald|date=April 11, 1926|page=6}}</ref> JOAK was followed soon after by JOBK in Osaka and JOCK in Nagoya.  The National Broadcasting Service, today known as NHK (Nippon Hoso Kyokai), began in August 1926. All stations were supported by licensing fees:  in 1926, for example, people wishing to receive a permit to own a radio set paid a fee of one yen a month to the government.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://pugetsound.media/pictures/Radio%20Expo%20page%2018.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002232717/http://www.pugetsound.media/pictures/Radio%20Expo%20page%2018.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 2, 2018|title=Japan Hides Radio Artists|newspaper=Seattle Daily Times|date=September 7, 1927|page=K4}}</ref> Programming on Japanese stations of the 1920s included music, news, language instruction (lessons were offered in English, French and German) and education talks. These early stations broadcast on average about eight hours of programs a day.<ref>{{cite news|first=Carl H.|last=Butman|title=Nippon Keeps Tight Grip on Radio|newspaper=Springfield Republican|date=September 11, 1927|page=6C}}</ref>