It will soon be six months since NTV President Hiroyuki Fukuda (64) held an emergency press conference on June 20. However, the compliance issue of former TOKIO member Taichi Kokubun (51) has not been resolved, but rather has only caused more ripples. At the press conference, Mr. Fukuda bowed deeply and said, “I’m sorry for the inconvenience! DASH! DASH! DASH!” “Mr. Fukuda made no comment, and the station has not disclosed the details of the incident to this day, citing privacy protection reasons. Mr. Kokubun announced an indefinite suspension and TOKIO was disbanded. Other stations that had been watching the turmoil made the same decision as Nittele, and Kokubu lost all of his jobs. The committee concluded that the station’s failure to disclose the incident “was unavoidable because it is difficult to provide a specific explanation beyond the fact that it was a compliance violation,” and that the station’s series of responses were “appropriate for the case. Kokubu remained silent for a while, but the situation soon changed. On October 23, Kokubu’s attorney, Masaru Komoda, held a press conference and announced that he had filed a human rights complaint with the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, claiming that the station’s response was flawed. Furthermore, on November 26, Kokubu held a press conference and apologized to the parties concerned, fans, and others. However, he repeatedly insisted that he and the station had not been able to “straighten things out” regarding the problematic behavior he had caused. Kokubu had not made a public appearance in about five months, but it was this press conference that changed the public’s opinion of him. At the press conference, Kokubun explained the circumstances surrounding his decision to leave the program. He was summoned to the station on the pretext of greeting the new production director and producer, and was interviewed about his noncompliance in the presence of the station’s lawyer. Mr. Kokubun revealed that he turned on the recording function on his smartphone, but his lawyer found it and requested him to delete it. The bureau stated that Mr. Kokubu was told on the spot that he had been told to stand down from the position, although the bureau said, “He came to our office as a greeting from his new position, and after the greeting, the employee in charge and the lawyer explained the purpose and objectives of the hearing and obtained Mr. Kokubu’s approval before holding the hearing. Although there was a problem with Kokubu, Nittele’s approach was criticized for its lack of fairness. In response to Kokubu’s press conference, Nittele responded by saying that it would be difficult to “answer the question,” but this response is being questioned even by those who know the TV industry. Immediately after President Fukuda’s press conference in June, public opinion gave credence to Nittele’s opinion, and there were few reports in the media questioning Nittele’s response. However, after Kokubu filed a complaint with the Japan Federation of Bar Associations and held a press conference, I think the media began to listen to Kokubu’s side of the story. Looking back on the Kokubu press conference, Professor Takahiko Kageyama, former producer of Mainichi Broadcasting System, Inc. We asked him for his views on the series of problems. After the Kokubun press conference, an interview with former TOKIO member Masahiro Matsuoka (48) appeared in Shukan Bunshun and Shukan Shincho, and Shigeru Jojima (55) also responded directly to an interview in Shukan Josei PRIME. Matsuoka’s complaint that he had received no explanation from Nittele attracted a great deal of attention. On December 10, Nittele apologized to Matsuoka and Jojima in response to an interview with “Shukan Bunshun” and other sports newspapers, but the company continues to receive harsh criticism. Kageyama points out that Nittele’s initial response may have been inadequate.
