Fewer Than Half of Japanese Households Subscribe to Newspapers
Friday, November 13, 2026112 words2 minutes67 reads
Fewer people in Japan have a newspaper subscription at home. This means paying each month to receive a newspaper. A summer 2026 survey found that 49.8% of people answering had one. In 2008, the figure was 88.6%.
Many people without a subscription said television and the internet gave them enough news. Others mentioned the price or their reading habits. Older people were more likely to have a subscription than younger people.
But newspapers still received the second-highest trust score in the survey. Only NHK television scored higher. The survey asked people about subscriptions and trust. It did not count every home. Having no subscription does not mean someone never reads newspaper news.
