Radio Shinyabin has found the secret to connecting ever more isolated young people: Late-night broadcasts
Japanese national radio’s late-night stalwart is finding a younger audience by lending a sense of connection and community.
It’s 23.00 in Shibuya. Inside a radio control room, a studio engineer is preparing to take one of Japan’s most popular late-night stations on the air. A cornerstone of the country’s media, it runs to the early hours of the morning, bringing its audience along on a six-hour odyssey. Pushing the faders up, the studio manager engages the mics: this is Radio Shinyabin (“Midnight Mail”).
“It’s not a traditional show where users tune in from start to finish,” says Tamoki Sakuma, Radio Shinyabin’s senior producer. Hosted on Japan’s public-service media, Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK), this eclectic programme has been running since 1990 and is just one of the country’s many late-night radio shows. “For long-time listeners, the broadcast has become as habitual as eating breakfast,” says Sakuma. “Every hourly time slot has its own fans.” Honed over years on Japanese airwaves, Radio Shinyabin keeps a consistent tone with subtle changes in rhythm and content as the audience rotates through the night. News stories accompany tales of travel; music melts away into reflective discussion.
Across a broadcast, the show can attract three million individuals, with about 600,000 listening at a time. In 2024, Radiko, the Japanese radio streaming app used to access shows from across the country, published a list of its most-listened-to programmes among 10- to 40-year-olds. Late-night shows formed the majority.
It is telling that they thrive in Japan. With rises in loneliness linked to dwindling birthrates, small living spaces and a demanding work culture, growing numbers are flocking to radio in the wee hours to enjoy Radio Shinyabin’s sense of intimacy. “I always imagine that I’m speaking to a specific person,” says Akira Tokuda, who has been one of the show’s anchors for 11 years. “It isn’t one-way; it’s like a conversation.” Sometimes a human voice, wherever they are, can make all the difference.
Comment
Feeling part of a community is more important – and comforting – than ever for young Japanese people, whether they’re night-shift workers or lonely insomniacs.
