NHK¡¯s Board of Governors on Dec. 20 appointed Katsuto Momii, former president of Nihon Unisys, a major computer and communication systems and software company, as the next president of Japan¡¯s public broadcast organization. His three-year term starts Jan. 25.
How to cope with the rapidly changing environment caused by digital innovations is a big challenge for NHK. But the most important task for Momii will be to keep a distance from politics and to refrain from intervening in NHK¡¯s right to freedom of expression as a news organization. He is close to business leaders who have strong ties with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Momii reportedly supports the state secrets law, which severely limits ordinary citizens¡¯ and journalists¡¯ access to government information, as well as Abe¡¯s ideas for revising the Constitution.
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