I am not sure if this has ever been posted here before but I just came across a great app called KeyHole that lets you watch Japanese TV stations over the Internet live, i.e. at the same time the shows are showing on Japanese TV. The app also has Japanese radio stations.
The app can be found here. http://www.v2p.jp/video/english/index.html
The app comes in Windows, Mac, and Linux versions. I have tested all three versions. The quality is not the best but free can not be beat. There is also a feature that keeps the app as the main app in the foreground no matter what you are doing.
One drawback is that since this is live TV viewers outside of Japan will have to adjust to the time zone difference in order to watch a specific program.
This is sponsored by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs so it is legal. This is not bit-torret downloads of TV programs but live broadcast TV in real time.
The main stations are TBS, TV Tokyo, TV Asahi, and Fuji TV.
Even though I live in Japan I use it on my computer so I can watch Japanese TV while I work.