It has been a long time since Toru Tamagawa, 59, a well-known commentator on &#8220;The Shinichi Hatori Morning Show&#8221; (TV Asahi), which boasts the top viewer ratings in its time slot, disappeared from the public stage.
<figure id="attachment_275741" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-275741" style="width: 1280px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7c11efb5"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/11/e12dfd1caab32fc9fffd64da91a19672.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-275741" class="wp-caption-text"> Terry Ito is a leading commentator with a tongue in cheek. If his radical comments catch fire and make the news, he can expect a publicity effect. He has even slid sideways from program to program.</figcaption></figure>
 In a September 28 broadcast, Tamagawa referred to former Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide&#8217;s eulogy at the state funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Tamagawa was suspended from work for 10 days for saying that ″(Dentsu) is involved (in the direction, etc.).
 On the October 19 broadcast, after the suspension was lifted, he bowed out of the staff room and said, &#8220;I thought I should go back to the basics of visiting the site, conducting interviews, confirming facts, and reporting them,&#8221; and announced his intention to step down as a commentator. )
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 The reason for the outpouring of questions is Tamagawa&#8217;s background.
 All stations have employee commentators, but most of them are former commentators or reporters from news bureaus. Each has his or her own area of expertise. Tamagawa, however, came from the staff of a wide-ranging TV program. He has no experience as a reporter in the news bureau.
 Mr. Tamagawa is said to be TV Asahi&#8217;s most famous employee. He is said to be the most famous employee of Teleasa, and this source says, &#8220;I am sure that he did not expect his current situation the most.
 In the late 1990s, when he was working as a director of a wide-ranging TV show, a freelance reporter turned him down for a political interview, and he had no choice but to take the microphone himself. His interesting speaking style was well received, and he began to appear regularly on the program. These days, it is not unusual for program staff to report due to cost cutting, but at the time when budgets were plentiful, Mr. Tamagawa was quite unique.
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 When the &#8220;Morning Show&#8221; was renewed in 2003, Mr. Tamagawa was appointed as a regular commentator, a position he holds to this day.
 He is also an excellent director. He is the type of person who always thinks about what the viewers want. His radical views are controversial, but he has no strong ideas. Most of his comments in the program are based on his reading of &#8220;What should I say to get the audience excited?&#8221; and are based on what he reads. In fact, since his statements make the Internet news every day, many people in the TV Asahi station were favorable to Mr. Tamagawa, saying, &#8220;He is getting good publicity.
 Mr. Tamagawa is now 59 years old. Will he be able to retire without returning to the field?
 If it had only been for an inflammatory comment, I think he would have been reinstated after his suspension, but it was painful that he made enemies with Dentsu. Until his retirement, he will probably only make occasional appearances in the studio as he does now. Since he seems to find commentator work rewarding, he may return to the wide-open TV show as a freelance commentator after his retirement.
 Tamagawa&#8217;s name recognition and character are attractive to the wide-show staff.
 He is a good example of a heel who can enliven a program by putting down his targets in a flame war. Even if it is difficult to use him on a key station, Kansai wide shows will not leave him alone.
 The &#8220;Tamagawa Theater&#8221; may open again next year and beyond.
 From the November 25, 2022 issue of FRIDAY

 Kyodo News

 It has been a long time since Toru Tamagawa, the famous commentator of "The Shinichi Hatori Morning Show," disappeared from the public eye. However, his name recognition and character are appealing to the wide-show staff. It is likely that the "Tamagawa Theater" will open again next year and beyond.

Why TV Asahi’s Toru Tamagawa is attracting the attention of the TV industry

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