Japan's national broadcaster NHK launched a 24-hour all-English channel targeting overseas viewers via satellite and the Internet on Monday, aiming to increase media influence of the world's second-largest economy, Xinhua reported.
The newly expanded NHK World TV carries 30-minutes news on the hour on weekdays -- 10 minutes at weekends -- with the rest devoted to features on culture, science and economics.
The broadcasts will be accessed from five continents in the world but will not be publicly aired in Japan, however, some of the programs can be seen on NHK World's website.
The Japanese public broadcaster began international broadcasting in 1995, currently reaching about 80 million households worldwide.
Major TV operators including China Central Television, France 24 and Al-Jazeera all have launched dedicated English-language channels to challenge well-established CNN and the BBC.