A member of Japanese all-male pop group Tokio has been removed from a popular TV program due to past conduct that breached compliance rules on multiple occasions, a TV network said Friday.
Taichi Kokubun, 50, was removed from "The Tetsuwan Dash," a variety program aired by Nippon Television Network Corp. and fronted by the members of Tokio. Neither Kokubun, his company nor the TV network has elaborated on what the breaches entailed, but according to a source close to the matter, they involved behavior that could be considered sexual harassment.
The decision to remove Kokubun was approved at an extraordinary board meeting, based on findings from a third-party probe headed by lawyers. Kokubun has accepted the decision, the network said.
In remarks to reporters, Hiroyuki Fukuda, the network's president, declined to elaborate further on the cases, citing a need to "protect privacy." He said it was not a criminal matter.
According to Fukuda, the probe was established after the misconduct came to light in late May.
"The Tetsuwan Dash" will continue broadcasting, the network said.
Following the announcement, Kokubun said he is indefinitely suspending his activities in a release on the Tokio company website.
In a statement of apology, he said that "my lack of awareness for the situation I am in, my naivety, my arrogance and my inappropriate behavior have caused everything."
Kokubun debuted with the then five-member Tokio in 1994 and has an extensive career in television and radio. After the Fukushima nuclear crisis in 2011, he helped promote local farming produce by appearing in commercials.
His removal from the Nippon Television program comes amid increased scrutiny of Japan's entertainment industry following recent revelations such as a sexual misconduct scandal that emerged at Fuji Television Network Inc. involving popular former TV host Masahiro Nakai.
Tokio's former agency Johnny & Associates Inc. also renamed itself and a separate agency was established after hundreds of sexual abuse allegations against its late founder Johnny Kitagawa.
© KYODO
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Gazman
‘could be considered sexual harassment’…..I’d have thought it either is or isn’t sexual harassment? Once all the facts come to life, this statement might come back to haunt them.
Yubaru
50 years old, in an industry that has had far too many incidents of sexual harassments and worse, and the best thing he can come up with is this for an excuse?
I hope he never returns, his arrogance is just incredulous!
Yubaru
It's just speculation, and the facts have "come to life", just not to light, and nothing will haunt anyone if he stays out of the light, and pays enough hush money.
Yubaru
Let's keep it real, "former" lead member of the popular Johnny's group SMAP.
Mr Kipling
If you are 50 years old and still in a "boy" band, it is time to move on.
Speed
Most of this industry has these arrogant and abusive characters. My friend worked for Nippon TV about twenty years ago and she told me she went through a lot of hard times dealing with these untalentos. She quit and came back here to her hometown after about a decade.
Nakai and Kokubun are just two of what everyone already knows about. The term "come to light" is a euphemism for "being called out and potentially being sued for sexual and power harrassment."
tamanegi
Your article refers to Masahiro Nakai being involved in nothing more than sexual misconduct.
I would have thought colluding with colleagues to entrap and isolate a vulnerable young woman in a room for Nakai to attempt to sexually assault a woman is a little more than "misconduct".
Let's not forget the following too..
Fuji Television Network Inc. and its regional affiliates were reported to have expected losses of approximately 1.3 billion to 1.4 billion yen (roughly $8.35 million to $8.99 million USD) by March 2025 due to the Masahiro Nakai's debiant behavior. Fuji TV revised its net profit forecast for the fiscal year, lowering it to 9.8 billion yen from 29 billion yen, reflecting a significant drop of about 74% from the previous term’s net profit of 37 billion yen, with advertising revenue expected to fall by 23.3 billion yen.
All due to "sexual misconduct" hey?
Wellington
Sankei Sports printed his "apology" today on their front page.
As another poster pointed out here the so-called "apology" was all about himself and not one word about the victims of his alleged sexual harassment or the women's lives and careers he probably ruined.
An arrogant man to put it mildly.
It would be nice if we never hear his name again.