Table Speech


Flat Panel Television Sets

March 23rd,2005

President of WOWOW Co. Ltd.
Mr. Toshio Hirose

My classification is commercial television broadcasting. We differ from the NHK, which is a public TV system, and other commercial TV systems which are supported by advertising revenue in that we gain our revenue from our subscribers.

2.5 million families are signed up with us, but as there are 47 million families in Japan today, this is a bit more than 5% of the total. We specialize in entertainment features, and 60% of our programming is motion pictures, with music, overseas dramas, sports events, etc. making up the balance.

Recently, with digital technology becoming widespread, the trend towards flat panel TV sets with high definition and digital sound has become enhanced.

Our company is responding to customer demand by transmitting high definition images with 5.1 channel sound and hope to transmit all programs using high vision broadcasting.

Let me tell you how I am enjoying television. I have a 50 inch plasma TV set with 5.1 channel sound in my living room. I bought this set in order to enjoy Japan-Korea World Soccer playoffs in 2002. My son has a 32 inch liquid crystal set which has recently become able to accommodate 5.1 channel sound. I plan to install a 100 inch rear projection TV in my mountain villa.

This will not be the rear projection TV in fashion recently, but the conventional set which is not too costly.

Regardless of the TV set, the mainstream of TV now is high definition.

Prices are coming down accordingly and today it is roughly 10,000 yen per inch. Quality has improved so that the choice between plasma or liquid crystal now is a matter of taste. As watch movies frequently I like plasma, which has a feeling of depth.

Now, I would like to tell you a few facts which I have learned from experience. First, the size. When I bought a 50 inch TV set, I thought perhaps it was too large, but as I got used to it, I felt that even a bigger one would have a stronger impact, and with 5.1 channel sound you will be able to experience an earth shaking moment.

Secondly, room illumination. We Japanese like brightly lit rooms whereas in the western countries, indirect illumination is common. Therefore in order to enjoy TV at its best, your room should be slightly darkened.

My third point is that you should have a ¡Æhome doctor¡Ç for your TV set. You may need someone whom you can call upon when something goes wrong with your set. Like a car, amateurs are not able to fix a TV set. You will need an experienced TV man to help you, and the important thing is to choose a reliable dealer. Please remember that the price is not the only important matter, but the ability to offer you consultation and after service on your TV set. SO, please enjoy your TV life!

A Yoneyama Foundation Fellow
Ms. Qui-Mei Chen,

Ms. Qui-Mei Chen, a Yoneyama Foundation Fellow finishing her studies at the Tokyo University post graduate school on Medical Research, addressed the meeting: Thanks to your generosity, I have been able to devote myself to my studies for the past 2 years.

As my studies were that characteristic to females, I wish to explain what I have been studying. A female secretes one ovum a month, and by conceiving, gives birth. When an ovum does not succeed in conceiving, it is reduced and give shrinks. By studying these at molecular or cell level we hope to find a cure for sterility.

My paper on this subject was published in a well known American academic Journal, and won a prize in a theses contest of Tokyo University.
I plan to continue my studies for 2 years in America, and then return to China. I wish to do all possible to be a bridge between the Chinese and Japanese medical circles.

I learned the importance of being considerate to others from the Tokyo Rotary Club, and this is an crucial matter I was able to understand from my stay in Japan. I will treasure this and hope to put this thought into action.
If you have an opportunity to visit San Francisco or Beijing, Please let me know as I will be happy to show you around.

Finally, I wish to thank all of you who have supported me. I will never forget what I owe to my Counselors Rotarians Motohiko Ueda and Nobuhiko Tanabe, and wish to express my gratitude to them.