Nittele “doesn’t need to answer the question.”
Are celebrities people or things? Former TOKIO member Masahiro Matsuoka (48)’s “Preparedness Confession” poses such a question. In June of this year, Taichi Kokubun (51) was seen with his girlfriend from his “de facto marriage” on the Nippon Television network’s “The! DASH‼” staff inappropriately! DASH ministry” staff. DASH‼” on NTV. Kokubu was dropped from the program and TOKIO was disbanded. Kokubu was furious, but NTV did not reveal the nature of the offense. On November 26, Kokubu, unable to move, held a press conference in the presence of his representative and repeatedly asked Nittele to “answer the question” as to what the violation was. In response, Nittele President Hiroyuki Fukuda said at a regular press conference on December 1, “I don’t think it is necessary to answer the question from the viewpoint of victim protection. In light of the wishes of the parties concerned, NTV believes that there is no need to go any further. Matsuoka was the first to open his mouth. In an interview with the December 4 issue of Shukan Bunshun and Shukan Shincho, he questioned the lack of explanation from the station regarding Kokubu’s departure from “Tetsuwan DASH. President Fukuda also said to Matsuoka and Shigeru Jojima (55), “You will continue to appear on the show,” but Matsuoka told Shukan Bunshun the following. I thought, ‘Ah, finally we don’t have a choice anymore. I frankly wondered what position we should take and how we should deal with the program from now on. Celebrities are “products,” and their agencies enter into appearance contracts with TV stations. If a TV station wants to put them on the air, they will receive an offer, and vice versa. The ups and downs are partly due to the fact that celebrities do not have the authority to make decisions.
Even within the station, there are voices saying, “There must be a better way to say it.
One entertainment industry insider said, “Tetsuwan DASH is a long-running program that celebrated its 30th anniversary this year. For Mr. Matsuoka and Mr. Jojima, it would be strange not to share the reason for Mr. Kokubu’s departure from the program, with whom they have shared many years of hardship. At the root of the matter is the low status of TV personalities. When you get right down to it, is a talent a thing or a person – is it a person? Mr. Matsuoka’s confession is something that “sticks” in the craw of many entertainers. Even within the Nittele bureau, there is a difference in temperature regarding Kokubu’s response. President Fukuda and other top management are furious with Kokubu for violating compliance and filing a human rights complaint without prior notice. This is because “human rights” is the word to which TV stations are most sensitive. On the other hand, there are those on the production floor who feel uncomfortable with the station’s response, even though they say, “Kokubu’s act was never forgivable. For example, President Fukuda said at the press conference, “There is no need to answer the question. One Nittele official said, “Mr. Kokubu is a person who has contributed to Nittele. Many employees of Nittele feel that there must be a better way to say this. President Fukuda joined Nittele in 1985. He was promoted to General Manager of the Sales Promotion Department in 2007, then to General Manager of the Business Promotion Department of the Programming Strategy Center in 2009, then to General Manager of the Programming Department in 2011, and finally to Director of the Production Bureau in 2002. In 2006, he was appointed to the position of Director and Head of the Programming Department. In 2006, he was appointed to the position of Director and Head of the Programming Department. He is from the programming field, so he has a dry side to him. He saw the enormous damage that Fuji Television suffered from the Masahiro Nakai incident, so he probably cut off Mr. Kokubu before it became a major problem. It is not a wrong management decision, but I think they could have dealt with Mr. Kokubu a little more in terms of after-the-fact care or ’emotion’. Q. Were there any problems with NTV’s handling of former TOKIO members Matsuoka and Jojima? We have been in careful dialogue with Mr. Matsuoka and Mr. Jojima, who are important performers, either directly or through STARTO ENTERTAINMENT Inc. and TOKIO Corporation, and we have tried to communicate our thoughts firmly to them and to talk to them in a way that they would be receptive to our feelings. Q. At the press conference, Mr. Kokubun stated many times that he would like to “answer” the question. I answered each question by saying, “Mr. Taichi Kokubun’s response to the press conference was discussed in detail at our regular press conference on December 1, so I hope you will check it out. It is said that within the station, there are more and more people who are concerned about President Fukuda’s “stand” day by day. There is no doubt that the entire entertainment industry is watching closely to see what NTV will do.
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