The NHK Fee in Japan: Do Foreigners Have to Pay? Cost, Exemptions & How to Cancel

Quick answer (30 seconds): The NHK fee (NHK受信料) is not a tax and not optional if you qualify — but it's not based on nationality. Under the Broadcast Act (Article 64), anyone in Japan who installs equipment that can receive NHK (a TV, a TV recorder, even a one-seg phone or car navigation with a TV tuner) must sign a receiving contract and pay. Foreigners are treated the same as everyone else. If you have no TV and no tuner (you only stream on a laptop/phone with no TV function), you generally don't have to contract. When you get rid of your TV or leave Japan, you cancel — it doesn't stop automatically.

Disclaimer: General information, not legal advice. The obligation, fees, exemptions, and cancellation rules are set by NHK and the Broadcast Act and can change — confirm the current details directly with NHK.

Is the NHK fee really mandatory?

Yes, if you have receiving equipment. The Broadcast Act (Art. 64) requires a person who installs equipment capable of receiving NHK's broadcasts to enter into a contract with NHK. It is a contractual/legal duty, not a voluntary donation, and there is no exemption just for being a foreigner.

What counts as "receiving equipment":

• A television (the main case)
• A TV recorder / tuner
• A one-seg (ワンセグ) mobile phone — Japan's Supreme Court has held this counts
• Car navigation with a TV function

What generally does not trigger the duty:

• A laptop, tablet, or phone with no TV tuner used only for internet/streaming.

So the honest test is simple: do you have a device that can receive NHK? If yes, you're expected to contract. If genuinely no, you're not.

How much is it? (approximate)

Fees depend on whether you take terrestrial only or , and on your payment method/period. As a rough guide (amounts change — confirm current figures with NHK):