NHK hopes to make it mandatory for those who have not signed viewing contracts to report to the broadcaster whether or not they have a TV, a move it says could help cut costs for collecting fees.

On Friday, the public broadcaster also requested that it be allowed to ask public utilities for the names of residents at homes from which reports have not been submitted.

The proposed reporting requirement and inquiry plan, however, were met with a flurry of negative reactions from members of a communications ministry panel of experts, with one denying the need for people without TVs to report this to NHK.

The broadcaster also unveiled a plan to create a system that would set aside some of its annual surplus in order to refund a portion of its viewing fees.

According to the proposal, presented at a meeting of a communications ministry panel of experts, NHK will set aside about 10% of its annual viewing fee revenue in its existing carryover funds to prepare for disasters and other emergencies, and then manage an unused portion of the funds separately that it will give back to viewers.