COMPLETION REPORT
Japanese TV Formats: Paths of Innovation and Social Influence
Dr. Le Yin (+1)
Professor
Institute of Journalism and Communication
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

This project consists of three parts. The first part focuses on the evolution of Japanese TV formats as well as theirinnovation and the development impetus including accumulative reforming, multicultural integration,entertainment industrial chains and the promotion strategies. The second part concerns the case studies, by which
the most popular Japanese variety shows and the structural characteristics of the program formats are discussed.
The third part involves the analysis of Japanese TV formats from the perspectives of the entertainment andcultivation roles, cultural soft power construction as well as the dissemination in China.
According to the research, on the one hand, the innovation of the Japanese TV formats are based on the domestic
audience and the existing local programs; on the other hand, the existing program selling modes are promoted by
Japanese government with the increasing influence on the global TV markets as the ultimate objective. Besides,
the emphasis on the local culture and human nature counts much on its innovation as well as in enhancing theirinfluence across the world. Nowadays, with the severely competitive situations at home and abroad in the field ofbroadcasting, Japanese TV formats are facing up with the challenges and opportunities to make a breakthrough,which may go as follows. Firstly, the uncertainties and competitions are becoming increasingly severe. The
research shows that though the export sales of Japanese TV programs keeps rising with the help of privileged
policies by Japanese government, the increasingly intensive competition from the western and Asian countries
makes the geopolitical influences more significant. It concludes that the export of Japanese TV formats may enter
the period of troughs after the previous peaks. Secondly, Japanese domestic variety shows and TV formats arefacing both another innovation downturn and the challenges from new media. It will be the critical period forJapanese TV formats to make the transition in the following 5 to 10 years, during which the influence of new
media technologies exerted on Japanese TV industry will be fully revealed. Thirdly, the change in the structures
and the demands of Japanese audience is approaching the tipping point. In conclusion, confronted with the above
challenges, Japanese TV formats needs both to retain the available creativity advantages concerning culture andtastes and to cope with the potential influences from technology and geopolitics, thus to make further developmentin the new media and social environment.

Publication of the Results of Research Project:
Verbal Presentation (Date, Venue, Name of Conference, Title of Presentation, Presenter, etc.)
Date：October 21，2016
Venue：the Lecture Hall in Qiushi Building, Beijing International Studies University
Name of Conference: Communication, Technology and Culture in the Intelligence Age
Title：The development of TV formats in Japan and Cool Japan policy
Presenter: Le Yin，Hong Liang
Thesis (Name of Journal and its Date, Title and Author of Thesis, etc.)
Name of Journal and its Date: China Radio & TV Academic Journal，2016.2,Title: The innovation path of TV formats in Japan and South Korea
Author: Le Yin
Book (Publisher and Date of the Book, Title and Author of the Book, etc.)
One chapter named“the innovation path and social influence of Japanese TV formats”in thebook of “TV formats and cultural influence”
Publisher: China Social Sciences Press，2018（in process）
Author of the book: Hong Liang, Le Yin
Author of the chapter：Le Yin