TNAG-0289-FCO40-325-Departmental-briefs-on-Hong-Kong-1971 — Page 76

CONFIDENTIAL

(iii) BBC

The Japanese Service costs £33,892.

Since last year there is a resident BBC

correspondent in Japan. According to the

recent Information Policy Report the signal strength continues to be rather erratic but

there is evidence that many Japanese write

letters commending both World Service and

Vernacular programmes. When Tebrau

modernization is completed we should look again at the value of the Japanese Service.

(iv) Overall Assessment

Japan is one of our main information targets. The country contains 100 million people, totally literate and avid for information, They consume more reading material than developing asian countries put together. 60 million of them are regular viewers of

quite sophisticated TV programmes.

Maintaining and developing satisfactory trade

relations is our priority interest and the

information effort has a distinct emphasis on

commercial promotion.

- 35.

CONFIDENTIAL