NHK subsidiary has a surplus of 103 billion yen, an amount that was pointed out by the inspection agency eight years ago, but the amount is still growing.

　The Board of Audit found that NHK’s 12 subsidiaries had a total of 103 billion yen in retained earnings at the end of FY2023. Of this amount, 5.6 billion yen was estimated to be available for extraordinary dividends. In 2005, the Board of Audit had asked NHK to verify the appropriate size of the 94.8 billion yen surplus (as of the end of FY 2003), but the amount had ballooned. Photo] NHK is a special corporation, and its subsidiaries, which are joint-stock companies, are guided and supervised based on “operating standards,” which are internal regulations. One of the business objectives of the subsidiaries is to reduce the burden on viewers who pay subscription fees. If a portion of the surplus is distributed to NHK, it could help curb the burden on viewers. Looking at the amount of retained earnings at the end of FY 2011 by subsidiary, NHK Technologies, which is responsible for the promotion of 4K/8K broadcasting, had 25.8 billion yen, NHK Enterprises, which is responsible for program production and event planning, had 18.8 billion yen, and NHK Publishing had 15.6 billion yen, among others. The inspectorate’s analysis of the subsidiaries’ financial conditions showed that many of them had financial reserves. Based on our own calculations, after deducting reserves necessary for business maintenance, seven of the subsidiaries were in a position to pay out a total of 5.6 billion yen in temporary dividends. The inspectorate expressed the opinion that “it is important to request appropriate dividends.