TV, radio, newspaper, and Internet are great information sources for your daily life.

• Three types of television broadcasting services are available in Japan; NHK public broadcasting that is operated by receiving fees paid by all TV viewers, commercial broadcasting that is supported by sponsors, and paid broadcasting that is provided only to subscribers.
• If you own a television set, you are required by law to pay the NHK receiving fee.

• While television broadcasts are currently available in both analogue and digital format, analog broadcasting is scheduled to end in July 2011, leaving digital terrestrial TV broadcasting as the only format.

• "One-seg (one segment)" broadcasting is a digital terrestrial television broadcasting service that mainly targets mobile phones. While many one-seg programs are the same as standard TV programs, some exclusive programs that are viewable only through the one-seg service have been on air since 2008. There are several types of one-seg receiving units available on the market, from mobile phones to in-vehicle units to portable units to laptop computers.

In addition to currently available AM and FM broadcasting, a new digital radio broadcasting service has been undergoing testing since 2003. Since many radio receivers are battery-operated, they are useful in a time of disaster for collecting information.

There are several national newspapers and prefecture-based local newspapers available in Japan. You can subscribe monthly and have the newspaper delivered by a local sales office, or buy a copy at station kiosks or convenience stores. Many newspapers issue both morning and evening editions.

It is becoming more common to subscribe only to a morning edition, however. Some national papers do not publish evening editions anymore. Some newspapers are available in foreign languages, including English, and can be bought at station kiosks or delivered after subscription.

You can access the Internet from your office, home, or an Internet cafe. Mobile Internet is also available.

Broadband connections via high-speed and large-capacity Internet services such as FTTH (Fiber To The Home), ADSL, CATV and FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) have become widely available in Japan, taking the place of traditional dialup/ISDN connections.

You need to become a member of one of the Internet providers to surf websites and use e-mail on your computer. Services and rates vary between providers; do your own research on the plans offered by each provider and choose the one that best meets your needs.