The internet has become the main source of daily news in Japan, overtaking commercial television for the first time, a survey by the Japan Press Research Institute has shown.

When asked about which news source they use on a daily basis, a question added in fiscal 2018, 46.5 percent of respondents chose the internet, according to the latest survey, released Saturday.

Commercial TV broadcasters, which had previously held the top spot, came second, at 46.1 percent.

The proportion of those who picked TV services by public broadcaster Japan Broadcasting Corp., or NHK, stood at 35.8 percent, while newspapers and radio logged 33.4 and 9.2 percent, respectively.

The newspaper subscription rate fell 3.7 percentage points from a year earlier to 50.1 percent, continuing to decline since marking 88.6 percent in fiscal 2008, when the survey began. (PNA)