Call signs in Asia
Call signs in Asia are rarely used to identify broadcast stations. In most Asian countries, broadcast stations use other forms of identification. Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan are exceptions to this rule. Amateur radio stations in India, Pakistan, Korea and Japan are allocated call-signs. Amateur radio. The Wireless and Planning and Coordination Wing (WPC), a division of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, regulates amateur radio in India. Amateur radio call-signs of Pakistan are issued by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). The PARS operates a QSL bureau for those amateur  radio operators in regular contact with amateur radio operators in other countries, and supports amateur radio operating awards and radio contests. The Pakistan Amateur Radio Society represents the interest of Pakistan amateur radio operators before national and international regulatory authorities. PARS is the national member society representing Pakistan in the International Amateur Radio Union. In Japan, it is regulated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications with the Japan Amateur Radio League acting as a national amateur radio organization. In South Korea call signs are regulated by the "Korea Communications Commission" in the "Ministry of Information and Communication". China . The International Telecommunication Union has assigned China the call sign prefixes B, VR, XS, XX and 3H-3U. Only prefixes B, VR and XX are currently under active use, with all other prefixes under reserves. Domestic commercial broadcasting stations in no part of China uses alphanumeric call signs. The following call sign allocation applies only to amateur radio. Mainland China. Mainland China uses call sign prefixes BA-BL, BR-BT, BY and BZ for routine operation, and singular B for temporary event stations. The second character for a routine operation call sign indicates the type of the station. Call signs in  Mainland China are now lifetime assignments, for as long as the station license is valid. It also no longer distinguish individual-owned and institution-owned stations, and no longer reflect the operator's license class. Existing call signs at the time of the rule change are grandfathered. The separating numeral indicate the call area. It along with the first letter afterwards indicates the geographic location the station is registered in. Hong Kong and Macau. Hong Kong uses VR as its amateur radio call sign prefix. Currently the only the separating numeral 2 is in use, thus all Hong Kong amateur  radio stations begin with VR2. Macau uses XX as its amateur radio call sign prefix. Currently the only the separating numeral 9 is in use, thus all Macau amateur radio stations begin with XX9. Indonesia. Call signs prefixes used in Indonesia: Private-owned radio station call signs by region are different with amateur radio call letters. The division is based on province area before 1998, so no call prefix are assigned for newer provinces. For example, Banten has the same call number and initial letter with West Java. Call signs suffixes used in Indonesia: Special License Callsigns suffixes : Japan. The  Japanese station prefix for radio and television stations is JO followed by its own unique two letters; the last letter in the latter part of the callsign identifies the ownership of the station, for example the letter "X" indicates that it is a commercial TV station such as JOEX-TV for TV Asahi and JOCX-TV for Fuji TV while the letter "R" indicates that it is a commercial AM radio station such as JOKR for TBS Radio. FM radio and TV stations have the "-FM" (FM radio), "-TV" (analog television), "-DTV" (digital television), "-TAM" (audio multiplex), "-TCM" (analog TV  teletext multiplex), "-TDM" (analog TV data multiplex) and "-FCM" (FM radio data multiplex) suffixes after their callsigns, similar to the North American practice, except for AM radio stations. At the greatest extent of the empire during the Second World War, another second letter was used for the empires other possessions besides the Home Islands. Pakistan. The International Telecommunication Union has assigned Pakistan the cal signs APA through to ASZ. It has divided all countries into three regions; Pakistan is located in ITU Region 3. These regions are further divided into two competing zones, the ITU and the CQ. The Pakistan  Amateur Radio Society (PARS), a national non-profit organization for amateur radio enthusiasts, does not assigns call signs but call signs are assigned by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). The PARS operates a QSL bureau for amateur radio operators in contact with amateur radio operators in other countries, and supports amateur radio operating awards and radio contests. The Pakistan Amateur Radio Society represents the interest of Pakistan amateur radio operators before national and international regulatory authorities. PARS is the national member society representing Pakistan in the International Amateur Radio Union. Philippines. The National Telecommunications Commission assigns the following call sign prefixes  from the international series to Philippine broadcasting stations depending on the location of their license: DW is now also used for stations in Luzon. Out of circumstance, DZ is mostly AM band, while DW is FM band. Other call sign prefixes assigned to the Philippines are DU, and DV. Amateur Radio DX1PAR DX- prefix, 1 - amateur district/region, PAR - suffix The standard format for Philippine callsigns is 2×3 – where 2 stands for the prefix letters (4D-4I or DU-DZ), and 3 stands for the suffix letters, both of which are assigned and regulated by the National Telecommunications Commission. A suffix  can have as much as three (3) characters, and as little as one (1). Prefixes: The NTC assigns prefixes depending on the privileges of the amateur license or for special events: Class A (Extra Class) – DU, 4F, 4E Class B (General Class) – DV, 4I Class C (Technician Class) – DW, 4G Class D (Foundation Class) – DY, 4H Club Stations - DX, DZ Districts: A district number is assigned to a station depending on its location. The Philippines is divided into nine (9) separate amateur districts. -National Capital Region, Region IV -Region I, Region II -Region III -Region V -Region VII -Region  VI -Region VII -Region IX, Region XII -Region X, Region XI A special event station may also be issued a district number different from those listed above (e.x. 100). Taiwan. Taiwan uses prefixes BM-BQ and BU-BX. It too uses the separating numeral to represent the geographic location of the station. The licensing class and type of the station is represented using the call sign's structure and prefix: Event stations do not have to adhere to the structure and location rules.