The Shanghai Broadcasting Network, a satellite TV service, was licensed to telecast programs in Japan, according to an agreement reached Tuesday.

The network will begin service in Japan on December 15, becoming the second Chinese satellite TV service provider permitted by the Japanese government to telecast in Japan. The first such permission was given to the China Central Television (CCTV), China's largest TV operator.

The Japanese TV company STV-Japan is responsible for the transmission of the programs of the Shanghai Broadcasting Network, according to the agreement between the two sides.

The programs are targeted to Chinese living in Japan and ordinary Japanese who have business relations with China or care about China's affairs.

According to a recent survey, about 500,000 Chinese live in Japan, and some 100,000 of them are the target audience of the Chinese language programs broadcast in major cities like Tokyo and Osaka.

The three-year-old Shanghai Broadcasting Network is one of China's leading satellite TV program providers, with 40 million subscribers and nearly 200 million viewers. The STV-Japan is a joint venture funded by six companies and individuals including Sony, TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc.) and STR group from Hong Kong.

( December 5, 2001)