📺 NHK Fee Waiver for Kumamoto Quake Homes

❓ What changed?

On August 27, 2026, Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) approved a waiver of NHK licence fees for households affected by the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake. NHK had filed the request on August 24, 2026. NHK needs MIC approval to waive fees, so this announcement means the procedure is now complete and eligible households will not have to pay for the covered months. The waiver applies to receiving contracts held by households in areas where the Disaster Relief Act (Act No. 118 of 1947) was invoked and whose homes suffered total collapse, half collapse, or flooding above floor level. It covers not only contracts made by installing a TV or other receiver, but also contracts started by a person living in that household, and contracts registered for the location of a communications terminal (smartphone, PC and similar) used outside business premises to watch NHK. In other words, a household without a TV set can still be covered. The waiver runs within the window of July to December 2026 and covers four months of fees. About 5,000 contracts are eligible, with an estimated waived amount of roughly 50 million yen. Normally fees keep accruing even after a disaster; what differs here is that a nationwide approval process lets them be waived in bulk.

👥 Who is affected?

• ●Households in areas where the Disaster Relief Act was invoked for the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake
• ●Households whose home suffered total collapse, half collapse, or flooding above floor level (regardless of nationality or residence status)
• ●People living in such a household who started receiving NHK broadcasts and signed a contract
• ●People whose contract covers the location of a communications terminal (smartphone, PC) used outside business premises to watch NHK
• ●Households that evacuated elsewhere and have not yet reported the address change to NHK

🌏 Impact on foreign residents

NHK licence fees apply to anyone who installs a receiver in Japan, regardless of nationality or residence status, and this waiver works exactly the same way — being a foreign household never disqualifies you. Only two things matter: whether your area falls under the Disaster Relief Act, and how badly your home was damaged. The practical risk is different, though. Foreign households are more likely to miss out because notices arrive only in Japanese, or because a bank transfer keeps running while nobody realises the waiver exists. If you evacuated to another municipality or prefecture, notices will not reach you unless you report the address change. Start by checking your disaster victim certificate (risai shomeisho) at your city or ward office to confirm the damage rating, then contact NHK to ask whether you qualify and whether a filing is required. Even without a TV, a contract for watching NHK on a smartphone or PC can be covered.