Aso Broadcasting System

The Aso Broadcasting System (JOBX-DTV) is a Japanese multicultural television network. It is currently the only multicultural television network in the country. The network is owned and operated by ArgosyMTM Japan (d/b/a Kabushiki Gaisha ABS), a division of the larger multinational conglomerate ArgosyMTM Group. Most ABS stations are on digital channel 3.

History
ABS started broadcasting on the 1st of October 1987, as the first full-service multicultural television network in Japan, broadcasting on channel 10 in Tokyo, and on different channels in different areas of Japan. The flagship station JOBX-TV had been operating since 1977 as an independent multicultural station, “Korean/Taiwanese/Australian Television”.

In its early years, ABS showed mainly Korean and Taiwanese content, as well as soap operas originating from Australia and New Zealand. There was some American content, but most of it originated from Argosy Media and MTM Enterprises - whose then-owners, Argosy Entertainment, owned a 20% stake in the network. The network was, and still is, licensed as a multicultural broadcaster - immigration from other parts of East Asia and Oceania to Japan is common, due to not only japanophilia, but Japan being closer to that part of the world than the United States or Canada, and as a result, the plane fare to move there being cheaper. All content has been shown in its original language with Japanese subtitles since the company’s inception.

ABS expanded over the late 1980s and early 1990s, building more stations across Japan, and bringing in series from the United States and United Kingdom, though the main focus remained on Korean, Taiwanese, and Australian content.

In 1997, the entirety of ABS was taken over by Canadian telecom company Shaw Communications, which already owned a 20% stake through its 1996 acquisition of International Family Entertainment, then-parent company of Argosy and MTM. It was later spun off with other media assets to Corus Entertainment in 1999. In 2006, Corus spun off most of its assets outside of Canada, including ABS, as Argosy Communications (now ArgosyMTM Group).

Under Argosy ownership, series from Southeast Asian countries (such as Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Indonesia) have been added to ABS.

It has been reported that most of ABS’s audience consists of “occidentophiles” - these who only watch the channel for the English-language and Western content - as well as similar people who only watch Korean or Taiwanese content, and students learning the English and/or Korean languages using the programming and Japanese subtitles as a “cheat sheet”.

In 2011, ABS started to produce original fiction programming for the first time; specifically, “OEL anime” in the English language, supervised by a new subsidiary known as ABS Animation Studios. The purpose of this programming is to teach English, using the bilingual English/Japanese subtitles as a guide; a “rubi” gloss is used for the English subtitles, where each English word has a smaller Japanese word with equivalent meaning above it, and vice-versa with the Japanese subtitles having English “rubi” glosses. The Japanese subtitles are in both kanji and romaji. Despite being educational in nature, this programming is intended for an older audience than preschoolers; specifically, preteens and teenagers. ABS CEO Kenji Yukimura said, “This content is intended to entertain first, and teach English second. Kids won’t even know they’re learning a new language.” All ABS anime is under a shared universe known as the ABS Aligned Universe. These anime are also aired on TV Asahi with a Japanese audio track, but retaining the romaji and English subtitles. Both English and Japanese audio track versions are imported overseas, where they are marketed by the ArgosyMTM parent company as a means to learn Japanese.