Fifteen elementary and middle school children in Tokyo recently met to discuss plans for television programs that they are producing on their own for the Children's Broadcasting Station, supervised by the Ministry of Education. The station went on the air in September.

The 15 children were chosen from among 749 applicants who sent an essays on "What kind of TV programs would you like to produce?" Seven fifth- and sixth-graders and eight middle school students were selected to produce three 90-minute programs that will be broadcast on December 25, 1999.

The children met at the National Olympic Memorial Youth Center in Tokyo's Yoyogi, and after discussing their plans for six hours, they finally agreed on three themes: Saving Our Nature, describing children's ideas about how to protect the global environment; Picking Up Our Dreams: Towards the Twenty-First Century to consider what dreams mean to children in modern society; and Heart to Heart Network about the importance of understanding cultural differences between Japan and other nations.

"Planning a TV program was a lot harder than I thought," said Ami Kato, a fifth grader from Yamagata, Yamagata Prefecture.

During the meeting the children came up with plenty of ideas, such as, "Graceful music should go with beautiful images of the nature, and sad tunes with images of environmental destruction," and "The programs ought to have many interviews with visitors from overseas."

Professional TV producers will create scripts based on the children's decisions. They will also consult the children in choosing the narrators and interviewers for the programs.

Masato Kurokawa, a sixth grader from Narita, Chiba Prefecture, who planned Heart To Heart Network, said, "I hope the program will be entertaining and easy to understand for Japanese kids so that they can see the good aspects of both Japan and other countries."

The Children's Broadcasting Station will air from 11 a.m. through 4 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. Its programs can be viewed on special TVs installed at libraries and schools.

Photo: The kids get down to the business of TV program planning. (Asahi Shogakusei Shimbun)