`Ekksu Firu': Japan's Hooked On `The X-Files'

TOKYO - Every Wednesday night, people across Japan eagerly await visitors from America - mainly space aliens, mutant monsters and deranged killers with psychic abilities.

They beam into Japanese homes thanks to "The X-Files," the first foreign TV series in years to make it big in prime-time here.

About 15 percent of all households tune in every week, a good showing for the competitive "golden time" evening hours. In a spinoff, eight publishers have been cranking out books to satisfy fans of "Ekksu Firu," as it is known.

Some attribute the show's success to a Japanese fascination with unexplained phenomena that has been heightened by uneasiness left over from last year's earthquake and poison gas attack. But others see the success of "The X-Files" as part of an emerging demand for fresh, high-quality programming from abroad that seems sure to grow as cable, satellite and other TV delivery systems spread.

"The transfer of popular culture from the U.S. via mass media is much faster now," says Kazuhiro Nozawa, editor of TV Guide, Japan's biggest television magazine. "People want to keep up with what's popular in America."

The slick production values on U.S. dramas like "The X-Files" stand out in Japan, where the visual fare is heavy with low-budget quiz and variety shows, greasy-haired crooners and mass-produced samurai dramas.

Old U.S. shows like "Kojak" and "Ben Casey" have been playing for years; "Little House on the Prairie," for example, still airs every day. But the only outlet for current hits like "Friends" and "The Simpsons" has been Wowow, an expensive satellite channel.

Brand-new shows from America were considered too risky for mainstream Japanese TV because of fickle audience tastes and the danger the show could be suddenly canceled, leaving the Japanese broadcaster in the lurch. "Twin Peaks" broke that jinx in 1991, enjoying a massive cult following, but no other foreign show has been able to duplicate that feat.

Even blockbuster hits in the U.S. have no guarantee in Japan: "Dallas," "Dynasty" and "The Cosby Show" all flopped here. The high cost of dubbing and cultural differences, particularly in humor, remain tough obstacles for new shows, but many feel U.S. shows have a distinct advantage over home-grown ones.

"Many of these shows are far better made than Japanese shows," says Masahiro Kimura, who sells broadcast rights to foreign shows at Movie Television Inc.

Even Japan's ultraconservative public broadcaster, NHK, is joining the fray next month with evening broadcasts of the hit medical drama "ER" on its premium satellite channel. While NHK already carries "Murphy Brown" and "Beverly Hills 90210" reruns, "ER" is its foray in the high-profile, current drama market - and more may follow.

"There's plenty of room for other foreign programs," says Mahito Onimaru, deputy director of acquisitions at NHK. "The competition for foreign programs among Japanese broadcasters has been getting fierce."

Still, skepticism lingers over how well American shows will do in the insular world of Japanese TV.

"Other programs might sneak in. I wouldn't call it an invasion - it's more like a ripple," says William Penn, a newspaper columnist who has written about Japanese TV for nearly a decade.