Nikkei Visual Images, Inc. was founded in 1958 as a TV and video production company within the Nikkei Group, making it one of the longest-established film production companies in Japan. Nikkei Inc., the core company around which the Nikkei Group is structured, publishes the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (commonly known as the Nikkei), which ranks alongside the Wall Street Journal and Financial Times as one of the world’s leading financial newspapers.
Nikkei Visual Images produces well-known economics programs such as “Dawn of GAIA,” “Cambrian Palace” and “Future Century Zipangu” on a regular basis for TV Tokyo (a terrestrial TV station which is also a member of the Nikkei Group). In addition, Nikkei Visual Images is involved in the production of economics programs and news programs for satellite broadcaster BS Japan (another member of the Nikkei Group).
Nikkei Visual Images is also responsible for program production and broadcasting (using Nikkei’s own studios) for Nikkei CNBC, a 24-hour business and financial news channel that is jointly run by Nikkei, TV Tokyo and CNBC Asia. The production of economics and financial programs is thus Nikkei Visual Images’ core business area.
Another area in which Nikkei Visual Images is particularly strong is arts and handicrafts programs. TV Tokyo’s “Kirin Art Gallery” art education program, which Nikkei Visual Images produces for TV Tokyo on a regular basis, has won high praise. Besides producing arts-related TV programs, Nikki Visual Images has for many years now also been involved in producing arts and handicrafts documentary movies and videos.
Nikkei Visual Images is also active in the field of science and technology, for example through its participation in 4K (4,000-pixel resolution, ultra-high definition) program production and display for use in the “Special Exhibition: Hikari—The Wonder of Light” exhibition, which showcases the beauty of the light produced by light-emitting stones and light-emitting living creatures.
In addition, Nikkei Visual Images is actively involved in producing programs for overseas markets. Channel JAPAN, which was established as a joint project by Nikkei and TBS, provides the latest Japanese business, economic, cultural, fashion and technology news in an English-language format for viewers in the Asia region via CNBC Asia etc.; half of the content of these programs is produced by Nikkei Visual Images. In 2014 Nikkei Visual Images undertook production of the “Big Boys Club (World-leading Heavy Industrial Machinery from Japan)” documentary program in collaboration with Discovery Channel.