ＮＨＫ、Ｎ国党首を提訴＝受信料支払い求め

　ＮＨＫは２８日、受信料の支払いを求めて、ＮＨＫから国民を守る党党首の立花孝志氏を東京地裁に提訴したと発表した。立花氏は参院議員会館の事務所に設置したテレビについて「ＮＨＫと契約はするが、受信料は踏み倒す」などと主張。提訴に関しては同日、「訴状の中身を見ないと何とも言えない」と述べた。
　立花氏は今年７月の参院選比例代表で初当選。ＮＨＫによると、８月に議員会館の事務所にテレビを設置し、自身の名義で地上波と衛星放送の受信契約を結んだ。しかし、８～９月の受信料計４５６０円が支払われていないという。
　ＮＨＫはこれまでに２回、立花氏に受信料支払いを求める文書を送った。しかし、期日までに支払いがなかったため提訴に踏み切った。
　受信料の不払いは通常、簡易裁判所で争うが、地裁での訴訟を決めた理由についてＮＨＫの松崎和義営業局長は「受信料不払いを公言しており、支払う可能性が極めて低い上、世間の関心が高いため」と説明している。
　立花氏は参院埼玉選挙区補選に立候補して参院議員を失職。２７日投開票の補選で落選した。（2019/10/28-17:39）

Japan Broadcasting Corp., or NHK, said Monday that it has sued Takashi Tachibana, head of NHK kara Kokumin wo Mamoru To (the party to protect the people from NHK), for his viewing fee payments.
   Tachibana, whose single-issue party is critical of the public broadcaster, set up a television set at his office at the building for members of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament, in August, after he won an Upper House seat in the July 21 election, and subscribed to both satellite and terrestrial broadcasts of NHK under his name, according to the broadcaster.
   But Tachibana has yet to pay a total of 4,560 yen in fees for August and September. NHK earlier sent two letters demanding he pay the fees, and took the case to court after the politician missed the payment deadline.
   Tachibana has publicly stated that he would subscribe to NHK but would not pay for it. The suit was filed with Tokyo District Court.
   Lawsuits regarding unpaid viewing fees are usually taken up first at a summary court, but NHK chose a district court for the litigation. As the reason, Kazuyoshi Matsuzaki, head of sales at NHK, said, "Tachibana has publicly said he would not pay the viewing fee, rendering the possibility of his payment extremely low, and it is of great public interest."