The Japanese government has decided to stop paying subsidies to a naked news TV show in which the female newscaster disrobes while reporting the news in sign language for the hearing impaired.

A spokesperson for the TV station said the news agenda, which includes mostly sex-related items, covers “topics Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) would never air.”

Under subsidy guidelines, the government can cover up to half of the production costs of creating subtitles and performing sign language for programs catering to hearing-impaired or visually-impaired viewers.
NICT solicits applications for the subsidies twice a year.

Not everyone is pleased. Some say that people with disabilities also have the right to view a variety of different TV programs.

Though the government has decided it will no longer pay subsidies to adult-oriented programs for the disabled, Paradise Television, which produces the naked news shows, says it will continue to do so on its own.

“We are producing programs so that audiences with disabilities will be able to enjoy their lives just like those with no disabilities,” said a Paradise Television official.