Describes characteristics of Japanese preschool children's television viewing and gives examples of the development of new television programs. Highlights include the influence of videocassette recorders (VCRs); parental involvement; television viewing at kindergartens and nursery schools; the viewing of Sesame Street in Japan; and the possibility…

In Japan, the production and broadcasting of television (TV) programs for children began in 1953. After the first few years of trial and error, children's programs gradually rose in popularity with the introduction of TV animation, dramas, special-effects photography, music/variety and quiz shows, comedies, and action dramas. Since the inception…

The first chapter of this overview of communications development and its use for instructional purposes in Japan reviews the history of mass communications in Japan, i.e., newspapers, movies, radio, and television, and notes the advent of new media. The second chapter describes the use of movies and radio in both social and formal classroom…

Discusses the role of television in constructing social reality and teaching children to participate in society, examining Israeli research on the role of television fiction and news in parent-child interactions. The article notes how family cultures affect the way television is incorporated into the socialization process in all households. (SM)