Seiji Chihara, who “finally apologized,” “immediately apologized,” and Chocolate Planet, who “immediately apologized,” had too big a “judgment result.

Spreading as making fun of bullied children

On October 3, comedian Seiji Chihara (55), who came under fire for his “bullied kid” comment, released an “apology video. The situation was tense at the time…Seiji Chihara told Yusuke Kawai, “You’re a bully! Seiji appeared in a black suit and apologized, bowing his head seven times, saying, “I am very sorry to those who were offended by the various information regarding this disturbance. The “disturbance” that Seiji refers to is his response to Yusuke Kawai, 44, a Toda City Council member in Saitama Prefecture and known as “Joker,” whom he co-starred with on his YouTube channel in July of this year, saying, “You, the bully with the aura of a bully, are so annoying. You have the aura of a bullied child. You know?　You must have come from a bullied background!　Hahahahaha! He made such comments as “You’re from a bullying background, aren’t you? This was spread on the Internet and other media as making fun of bullied children and caused a firestorm. However, he did not delete the video or apologize for a while after the incident, and this affected his work as well. His regular program, “Daigumo and Seiji’s Monk Radio” (KBS Kyoto), ended after its broadcast on August 31. In addition, Seiji’s talk show scheduled for September 12 at Boat Race Suminoe, a boat race track in Osaka City, was abruptly canceled. In addition, after the day following the release of the video with Kawai, the YouTube channel stopped updating until the release of this apology video. According to one entertainment professional, “Yoshimoto’s side had advised him to apologize as soon as possible in order to settle the fuss. However, the person himself seemed to be lost, and time passed unnecessarily. That made the situation even worse,” he said. There was a further blow. In May 2012, Seiji performed a ceremony at Enryakuji Temple, the head temple of the Tendai sect of Buddhism, and became a monk under the name of Seiken. In November of the same year, he was appointed as an advisor to the Japan Buddhist Association. …… ◆Chokopura himself shaved his head with clippers “As soon as the fire broke out in July, the Japan Buddhist Association announced that he had already resigned as an advisor on June 25, before the fire broke out. However, on September 30, the association again issued a release as “We would like to inform you of the facts of how he resigned,” and it became clear that he had been effectively fired because of his inappropriate behavior as an advisor to the association. The reason why the association dared to make a more in-depth announcement more than two months later was because the association was inundated with complaints, including slanderous ones. This was probably also because Seiji had decided to remain silent without making an apology. If he had responded immediately after the firestorm, there is a strong possibility that the inconvenience to the association would have been minimized, and he might not have made this additional announcement. Chocolate Planet” (hereafter referred to as “Chokoplanet”). In his YouTube channel published on September 10, Shun Matsuo said, “Regarding slander, only celebrities, athletes, and people like that should not use social networking services. I’ve always wondered what amateurs are sending out. When the comment was spread and became inflammatory, Chokoplast deleted the video, and on the 18th, the duo released an apology video. The two men were dressed all in black and apologized with a mysterious look on their faces. After that, Matsuo and his partner, Shohei Nagata, used clippers and shaved their own heads to express their apology. Nagata’s appearance on the program wearing a wig was also criticized. However, this seems to have been temporary. I have not heard that he has dropped out of sponsorships or programs after the riot. When I interviewed Seiji directly after his talk show on September 19 and asked him how he felt his work had been affected, he replied, “I haven’t left the show. I have another performance tomorrow. Before the video with Kawai, Seiji had invited politicians such as Kamiya Munehide, leader of the Kansei Party, and Yasushi Adachi, a member of the House of Councilors of the Democratic Party of Japan, for interview videos. However, due to the current flame war, it will be difficult for him to do political programs. What is more of a loss, I think, is the distance it has created with the Buddhist community. Not only did he end up on the radio with Daigumo Miki, the abbot of Renkyuji Temple, but he used to teach corporate training programs, give lectures in the funeral industry, and speak at events, and his Buddhism-related developments must have been extensive. However, now that the Japan Buddhist Association has revealed that he was effectively fired, even those may be difficult. If he had apologized and explained immediately after the fire like Chokopura did, the ripples would not have spread so far. Although he has lost a lot, he has stood up for himself in the face of numerous scandals. What will he do next to revive his career? Interview and text by Norifumi Arakida (FRIDAY Digital Entertainment Desk)