Two of the youngest disc jockeys in Japan are sixth graders who have a weekly radio program at a community FM station in Sapporo, Hokkaido. They run the show all by themselves, selecting what songs to air, deciding what to talk about, and operating the equipment.

The two DJs are Kyoko Uemura and Machiko Sasaki, both sixth graders at Koyo Elementary School in Sapporo. They were chosen as radio show hosts in an audition held in August and have had a 30-minute show called "Kids' Time", which airs every Thursday evening at 6 p.m., since October 8, 1998.

The two girls rush to get to the station after school on Thursdays. They're not given a script to follow, so they have to plan what they're going to say on their own. Sometimes they'll discuss something that happened at school, and at other times they'll talk about their friends. They may also comment on their favorite songs or TV programs and read the letters that listeners fax in.

Talking is not all they do during the program. Kyoko is responsible for keeping track of the time, and Machiko operates the mixer and picks out the songs to be played.

During one show, right after Machiko flipped on the switch to start a song, the music suddenly stopped. She fumbled with the switch some more, apologizing to the listeners. But the girls were so confused that they fell into silence. A station staff member jumped up and signaled for them to start talking, and immediately, Kyoko took up a fax from a listener and began reading it.

Despite unexpected problems like these, the two young DJs have always managed to complete the show successfully.

"There are so many things I want to talk about," says Kyoko, "and 30 minutes isn't long enough to say everything I want."

Machiko adds, "It would be nice if we could also discuss serious topics like the consumption tax and how Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi is doing."

The community FM station specializes in programs hosted by volunteer DJs, most of them local citizens, including office workers, housewives, and college students.

"We hope to make our show a program that people of all ages can enjoy," say Kyoko and Machiko.

Photo: Japan's youngest DJs get ready to go on the air. (Asahi Shogakusei Shimbun)