Short answers, pulled from the story.
Kenjiro Takayanagi demonstrated the first fully electronic television receiver in 1926. His pioneering work began in 1924 when he launched a research program on electronic television. He achieved a breakthrough by demonstrating a CRT television with 40-line resolution, the first working example of a fully electronic television receiver.
Television broadcasting in Japan was introduced in 1939. On the 13th of May 1939, an experimental television signal was broadcast from the STRL antenna at the new Broadcasting Hall in Uchisaiwaichō. The first regular television programming began on the 1st of February 1953, when NHK broadcast for approximately seven hours from 2 to 8:45 in the evening.
Japan became the third country in the world to introduce color television, following the United States and Cuba. The first broadcasts began on the 10th of September 1960, using the NTSC television standard. The initial color programming focused on foreign films, time-delayed sporting events, and short educational programs.
The transition to digital television concluded in most of the country on the 24th of July 2011. The switchoff was postponed to the following year for the prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima due to the Tōhoku earthquake. The transition took place from 2010 to 2011 through the digital switchover, the phased switching off on a regional basis of analog television.
The fee varies from ¥12,276 to ¥21,765, reduced to ¥10,778 to ¥20,267 for households residing in Okinawa Prefecture. The fee depends on the method and timing of payment, and on whether one receives only terrestrial television or also satellite broadcasts. Households on welfare may be excused from the license fee.
Some commercial stations sign off between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. every night. Most stations affiliated with NNS or JNN broadcast 24 hours a day, with the sign off window replaced by a simulcast of their networks' news channel during the overnight hours. NHK is required to broadcast 24 hours a day, seven days a week.