NHK World media bias and reliability
Media Bias/Fact Check places NHK World as leaning right. We have seen it on 19 published stories of ours.
The short answers
Is NHK World biased?
Media Bias/Fact Check places NHK World as leaning right. An outlet rating describes a broad pattern in its output, not every article it publishes.
Is NHK World left or right?
Media Bias/Fact Check places NHK World as leaning right. In the three-way grouping used on story pages, that puts it under Right.
Is NHK World reliable?
The factual-reliability assessments we hold for NHK World are Media Bias/Fact Check: High factuality. These are outlet-level assessments, not a guarantee that every report is correct.
What NHK World has been covering
Our account of each story, written from every outlet that ran it, with NHK World’s own report linked underneath.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that rapidly advancing artificial intelligence poses significant risks that require global coordination and stronger oversight. This comes as public alarm about AI's potential dangers grows, while former US President Donald Trump maintains existing safeguards are sufficient.
NHK World reported it asUN chief seeks international regulation on AI development (opens NHK World in a new tab)
Leaders of the BRICS nations have issued a joint declaration expressing deep concern over escalating Middle East tensions. They called for maximum restraint and condemned unilateral sanctions not authorized by the UN, stating they violate international law.
NHK World reported it asBRICS summit declaration urges restraint in Middle East (opens NHK World in a new tab)
The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is commemorating the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with an exhibit of artifacts. The display includes personal items from the day, presented openly due to fragility, as museum leadership navigates political criticism.
NHK World reported it asUS marks 25 years since 9/11 attacks (opens NHK World in a new tab)
The Anak Krakatau volcano erupted on September 4-5, 2026, with an ash column observed by satellite. Loud booms were heard up to 150km away, and Indonesian authorities placed the volcano under Alert Level III, prohibiting access within a 3km radius.
NHK World reported it asJapan checking for tsunami threat after volcano erupts in Indonesia (opens NHK World in a new tab)
Eight Indonesian airports, including Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta and Halim Perdanakusuma, were closed on 7 September due to ash from the Mount Anak Krakatau eruption. The transport ministry reported 170,000 people were affected by flight cancellations.
NHK World reported it asJapan checking for tsunami threat after volcano erupts in Indonesia (opens NHK World in a new tab)
South Korea is reviewing military options, including potential asset deployment, to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. While media reports suggest preparations are underway, officials state no final decision has been reached.
NHK World reported it asReports: South Korea mulls military deployment to Strait of Hormuz (opens NHK World in a new tab)
The 36th annual Ig Nobel Prizes awarded ten research teams for studies that are scientifically sound but unusual. This year's ceremony was held in Zurich, marking the first time the event took place outside the United States.
NHK World reported it asLate Japanese researcher wins Ig Nobel Prize for nose-blowing (opens NHK World in a new tab)
A US strike in southern Iran hit a wedding celebration, killing at least four people, including a child, and wounding over 50, according to the Iranian Red Crescent. US Central Command confirmed strikes on IRGC targets.
NHK World reported it asIran: US wedding strike is 'war crime' (opens NHK World in a new tab)
USS Abraham Lincoln docks in Thailand after 200-day Middle East mission amid crew welfare concerns
Trust 78The USS Abraham Lincoln reached Thailand after a 200-day deployment in the Middle East, the longest continuous sea duty in modern US Navy history. Reports of supply shortages, morale problems, and a possible suicide attempt prompted a Senate inquiry and a replacement carrier dispatch.
NHK World reported it asUSS Abraham Lincoln docks in Thailand after 286 days at sea (opens NHK World in a new tab)
Donald Trump has stated the US will respond forcefully to Iranian attacks on American bases in Jordan and the UAE. The exchange of fire follows a US strike on Iran's Larak Island, with both sides issuing threats of further action.
NHK World reported it asUS announces new strikes, Iran says it started retaliating (opens NHK World in a new tab)
Eight South Koreans working on a hydropower plant project are missing and 10 others are stranded after a flash flood in Nepal. South Korea's Foreign Ministry has established a task force and plans to send a response team to the affected Rasuwa district.
NHK World reported it asNepal flooding leaves over 380 tourists, mostly foreigners, unaccounted for (opens NHK World in a new tab)
A 24-year-old Nepali labourer survived a flash flood by clinging to a mango tree after being swept away by a torrent of mud and rock. The disaster has killed at least 150 people and left hundreds missing in Nepal.
NHK World reported it asNepal flooding leaves over 380 tourists, mostly foreigners, unaccounted for (opens NHK World in a new tab)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has informed allied foreign ministers that the United States does not currently intend to launch new strikes against Iran. The administration is shifting its focus to economic pressure, sanctions, and maritime security.
NHK World reported it asUS media: Rubio tells allies US shifting to economic pressure on Iran (opens NHK World in a new tab)
North Korea’s Kim Yo-jong stated that the US decision to scale down the Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise forced South Korea into a 'poor plight' of cancelling war games. She called South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s response 'double-dealing' and described the reduced drills as an 'evident disaster' for Seoul.
NHK World reported it asNorth Korean Leader's Sister Minimizes Donald Trump's Decision to Reduce Military Exercises (opens NHK World in a new tab)
North Korea fired around 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on 20 August 2026, hours after US President Donald Trump said he would meet Kim Jong Un. The launch coincided with joint US-South Korea military drills, which Pyongyang called a provocation despite their reduced scale.
NHK World reported it asJapan: North Korea launches possible ballistic missile (opens NHK World in a new tab)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia reserves the right to consider British involvement in Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory as direct participation in the war. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham reaffirmed Britain’s '100%' support for Ukraine, dismissing Moscow’s warnings.
NHK World reported it asSergei Lavrov: the Use of British Drones Can Be Considered as a British Participation in the War in Ukraine (opens NHK World in a new tab)
The 60-day US-Iran memorandum of understanding expired on 17 August 2026 with no extension announced. Donald Trump called on Iran to "put up the white flag of surrender" and threatened to bomb Oman if it interfered with reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran denied a direct backchannel with the IRGC.
NHK World reported it asUS and Iran issue threats as deal expires (opens NHK World in a new tab)
The US State Department revoked over 600 visas in July 2026 as part of a crackdown on birth tourism, where foreign nationals travel to give birth in the US to secure citizenship for their children. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the measures, including a new task force, at a press conference in the Philippines.
NHK World reported it asUS State Department sets up task force to prevent 'birth tourism' (opens NHK World in a new tab)
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the disputed Kuril Islands on 13 August 2026, prompting Japan to summon Russia’s ambassador. The US ambassador to Tokyo reaffirmed support for Japan’s sovereignty over the islands, while Russia insisted the visit was not open to foreign discussion.
NHK World reported it asPutin visits Japan's Northern Territories (opens NHK World in a new tab)
Who says so
One organisation has published a rating for this outlet. Where they disagree, the disagreement is the useful part and it is left standing.
- Media Bias/Fact CheckleanRightCheck it
How reliably it reports fact
A rating of the newsroom in general, by others, and a different thing from the Trust score we publish on each story, which judges one piece of reporting.
High factuality
- Media Bias/Fact CheckhighCheck it
Who owns it
- NHKunknowndirect owner
- Government of JapanGovernmentparent group
Where it publishes from
What we have seen ourselves
Counted across the stories this site has published, which is the only denominator a reader can check: every one of them has a page, and every page lists the reports it was written from.
- Stories
- 19
- Reports listed
- 19
- We could read
- 0
- First seen
- 4 August 2026
19 of those reports were paywalled or blocked to us. Our reading of this outlet is built on the 0 we could open, not on everything it published.
On 1 of those stories, outlets rated right were largely absent from the coverage and NHK World ran the story anyway.
Across the 19 stories of ours where at least three of the reports we listed carried a time, another outlet was always ahead of NHK World: its report arrived a median of 23 hours after the earliest one we logged.
Measured 20 September 2026. Last seen in a coverage list 19 September 2026. Ratings pulled 5 September 2026.
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What we are responsible for is everything else: the ownership chain, where NHK World publishes from, which of our stories we have listed it on, and whether we have the right publisher at all. Tell us what is wrong and an editor reads it.
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