TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Film and television streaming giant Netflix Inc. saw the number of subscribers in Japan top 10 million in the first half of 2024, double the number of users it had four years ago, the head of its Japanese content production said recently.

Netflix, which is next year marking 10 years since its streaming service began in Japan, has an estimated 20 million viewers, Kazutaka Sakamoto said in a meeting with media outlets.

Behind the growth in the business are upgraded studios and expanded operations to create better content, helping boost its reputation at home and abroad, he said.

"We would like to (make Netflix) indispensable to the Japanese lifestyle," Sakamoto said, while expanding the company's offerings into new areas such as livestreams of sports and comedy.

Considering its increasing impact on the industry, he also said the company will redouble efforts to improve its production practices by limiting shooting schedules to 12 hours a day and ensuring employees have at least one day off per week.