 The Japanese licence fee pays for the national broadcaster, Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (NHK).While every household in Japan with a television set is required to have a licence, it was reported in 2006 that "non-payment [had] become an epidemic" because of a series of scandals involving NHK.As reported in 2005, "there is no fine or any other form of sanction for non-payment".