Top Japan court finds paying NHK broadcast fee "legal obligation"

The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that owners of televisions in Japan are legally required to sign up with public broadcaster NHK and pay a subscription fee, dismissing a claim that the fee collection system violates the freedom of contract guaranteed by the Constitution.The ruling that the fee collection is constitutional was handed down in a lawsuit filed by the broadcaster against a Tokyo man who persistently failed to respond to NHK's requests from September 2011 for a contract. He owned a TV from March 2006.NHK, also known as Japan Broadcasting Corp., relies on the fees as its main sou…READ FULL ARTICLE