Tokyo – The NHK morning serial drama Carnation and the historical drama series Atsuhime will be aired from mid-July in Myanmar. They will be the first NHK dramas to air on terrestrial television in Myanmar since the transition from military to civilian rule in 2011.

The telecasts are part of a project involving Japan International Broadcasting Inc. (JIB) and a commercially operated satellite broadcaster, Myanmar National TV (MNTV). The two NHK dramas will be screened on the terrestrial service that MNTV will launch from mid-July in Myanmar’s three largest cities: Yangon, the capital Naypyidaw, and Mandalay.

The project is applying for Japanese government funding to
promote Japanese content abroad. Japanese firms doing business in Myanmar will also be approached to assist in this project. The NHK group hopes to establish co-operative arrangements to have MNTV airing NHK programmes on a constant basis and for this to serve as a new model for establishing NHK programmes outside Japan.