entertainment

SMAP's Kusanagi wraps up digital broadcast campaign

12 Comments

SMAP's Tsuyoshi Kusanagi this week appeared in his final act as spokesman for Japanese television's official shift from analog to digital broadcast. As part of the PR event, officials for the conversion rented out a train last Sunday on the Yamanote line in Tokyo.

Kusanagi has been the “main character” of the PR campaign for the conversion since as early as 2006. He was briefly dropped by the campaign in 2009 after an embarrassing drunken incident exposed the actor and singer's alcohol addiction. After cleaning up his image, he was offered the job again.

“It's a little sad to let the campaign go, but I'll do my best to inform everyone about the change [to digital],” said the actor.

The official conversion to digital broadcast will take place on July 24. Older television sets will no longer pick up broadcasts after the change; hence the unusually long-running information campaign.

© Compiled from news reports

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

12 Comments
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“It’s a little sad to let the campaign go, but I’ll do my best to inform everyone about the change [to digital],” said the actor.

he may continue with campaign in Tohoku region where digital broadcasts have been delayed until March 2012 and to other places he may go door to door to inform everyone....!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Honestly the best thing he did to promote the change to digital was romp around in the nude, get replaced by "chidejika" which looked like it was designed by a 5yr old, then be reinstated again.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I'm glad this drunk was taken off TV, he is also the face of Toyota rent-a-car... nice roll model, quickly how people forget things in this country.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

I think the article failed to elaborate on the details of the so-called drunken incident.

He wasn't just drunk. He was frickin naked in that park near Roppongi. A bit pugnacious as well when he's inebriated. I guess he's just hoping we forgot about that. He's lucky he's such a big star otherwise he'd be out like Mona.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

He wasn't just drunk. He was frickin naked in that park near Roppongi.

Good for him! Nothing wrong with a few beers and a spot of nudity. Save your outrage for TEPCO, folks.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I recall his famous statement to the police.. "What is wrong with being naked?!"

1 ( +1 / -0 )

NetNinja - Sshhhh! All that has been swept under the carpet now and should never be mentioned again. That way we can pretend like it never happened in the first place.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I like him. But I like Chidezika than him. Chidezika is very cute character.

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He was briefly dropped by the campaign in 2009 after an embarrassing drunken incident exposed the actor and singer’s alcohol addiction.

It's an "alcohol addiction" now, is it? I thought he was just bladdered. It must be a remarkably effective treatment he was prescribed for him to have made such an exemplary recovery. Certainly more effective than whatever they keep giving Prince Tomohito.

Or could this just be bolleaux, and he's no more an alcohol addict than anybody in Roppongi is in the early hours of a weekend morning?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

I'm glad this drunk was taken off TV, he is also the face of Toyota rent-a-car... nice roll model, quickly how people forget things in this country.

There's no need to hold a silly grudge, it's not like he injured or killed someone. He got drunk in a park and took his clothes off.

Not to mention that he's done his time and paid his fines. Must he go through the rest of his life ducking and groveling?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Some might remember that the then internal affairs minister Kunio Hatoyama labelled Kusanagi "a bastard" after his naked romp in a Tokyo park.

That's the same Hatoyama who suggested that execution of death row inmates didn't require him to sign the final execution order, a procedure demanded by Japanese law. Amnesty International Japan condemned his disregard for human rights.

And it's the same Hatoyama who signed into law the measure requiring all foreign visitors to be fingerprinted and photographed upon entry to Japan - as an anti-terrorism measure

Hatoyama owns a chunk of shares in the company which is overseeing the government's campaign to promote Japan's switch from analogue to digital television broadcasting by 2011.

The same campaign whose public face is still SMAP's Tsuyoshi Kusanagi.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The same Hatoyama was also romantically involved with Kimutaku's mother in-law and has a Labrador that he calls Tsuku.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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