"\"Senkaku is Chinese territory\"... NHK Chinese staff made patriotic remarks on air and was dismissed"

Chinese External Staff Made Statements Not in Manuscript
NHK "Deeply Apologizes for Inappropriate Remarks"

In a broadcast on NHK Radio's Chinese news, Japan's public broadcaster aired content claiming that the Senkaku Islands (known as Diaoyudao in Chinese), which are subject to a territorial dispute between China and Japan, belong to China. On the 20th, Japanese media including the Yomiuri Shimbun reported that around 1 p.m. the previous day, during an NHK Radio international broadcast reading news in Chinese about an incident where someone vandalized the Yasukuni Shrine, a male announcer suddenly stated for about 20 seconds that the Senkaku Islands are Chinese territory, making remarks not included in the script. The Senkaku Islands (Diaoyudao in Chinese) are currently under Japan's effective control and are the subject of a territorial dispute with China.

The Senkaku Islands (Chinese name Diaoyu Islands), over which Japan and China are engaged in a territorial dispute, currently under Japan's effective control [Photo by Yonhap News]

The man, an employee of an organization contracted by NHK, has been translating and reading scripts in Chinese for NHK since 2002. NHK judged that the Chinese man made inappropriate remarks and lodged a protest with the organization, which announced its intention to terminate the man's employment contract. After the broadcast, NHK quickly stated that the remarks were not in the script and that the reason why the employee made such statements was unknown. NHK further explained, "It was inappropriate for statements unrelated to the news to be broadcast, and we deeply apologize," adding, "We will thoroughly implement measures to prevent recurrence."

Meanwhile, China and Japan have continued conflicts by sending their vessels near the Senkaku Islands and demanding the other side's ships to leave if they approach the islands. However, Japan maintains effective control over the Senkaku Islands and asserts that there is no territorial dispute.