Popular Announcer Embezzled 40 Million Yen From Union’s Fund Resigned Right After He was Discovered!

Ryo Eda, 33, a popular announcer at CBC Television, who was reported by this magazine “FRIDAY” on December 8 to have embezzled 40 million yen, has resigned from the company.

The embezzlement was discovered around September of this year, and Eda had been suspended from work since November; CBC told this magazine on December 6, “We are currently investigating the facts. We will take appropriate action regarding Eda’s case.” From there, he suddenly decided to leave the bureau.

“He resigned on December 8. I heard that he resigned voluntarily. I was very surprised because I thought he was the type of person who would never quit his job. The fact that he resigned right after it was discovered and on the same day the news broke is said to indicate that the company may have cut off his tail in order to cover up the incident.”

The following is a recounting of the 40 million yen embezzlement incident involving announcer Eda.

It was revealed that a shocking incident had occurred at CBC Television, a TBS-affiliated broadcaster serving the Chubu region centering on Nagoya. A current employee, a popular announcer, had embezzled labor union fund.

The amount was 40 million yen. The embezzler was Ryo Eda, 33, who has been with the company for 10 years.

After graduating from Waseda University, Eda joined CBC Television in 2013, appearing on CBC’s signature programs “Kewpie 3-minute Cooking” and “Gogosuma.” What in the world does a popular announcer mean by embezzlement? A source familiar with the situation says, “It was discovered in September of this year.”

“It was discovered around September of this year, when the labor union held an election of officers, and the union president and the head of the finance department were replaced. When the new union president asked Eda, who was finance director from ’18 to ’21, to produce his bank book so that he could check union fund, Eda told him that he had destroyed it. When we became suspicious and checked and investigated the electronic records, we found that many things did not add up. Eventually, Eda admitted that he had embezzled a whopping 40 million yen.”

What was Eda did with 40 million yen?

Eda told the union’s investigation that he used the money for investment. He was a talented investor, and I heard that he made a profit of more than 10 million yen on top of the money he embezzled.

Perhaps fearing detection, Eda refunded 35 million yen of the 40 million yen he had embezzled in September of this year. Eventually, he admitted to embezzling the missing 5 million yen and refunded it as well. However, he has not refunded the approximately 10 million yen he made from his investments.

CBC employees who knew about Eda’s usual activities could not hide their surprise.

“Even though he works for a local station, Eda is a top announcer at a TV station,” said one CBC employee. Embezzling money from the labor union’s fund was a surprise to him. To begin with, the labor union’s fund is money deducted from employees’ salaries. Since his name is Ryo Eda, he is called “Ouryou-kun” in the company.”

To confirm the facts, this magazine directly interviewed Eda in early December, when he and his wife returned home together, rolling a large trunk. We repeatedly asked him questions about embezzlement, but he repeatedly said, “Please ask the company,” and quickly walked into his luxurious condominium.

We later sent a letter of inquiry to CBC Television, responding:

“CBC Television has received a report from the labor union and is currently investigating the facts. We will take appropriate action.”

 

Embezzlement in the course of one’s duties is a criminal act. The media, which reports on injustice in the world, cannot simply cover up the stink.

The December 9 issue of “FRIDAY” carried details on how the embezzlement was discovered. The paid version of the website “FRIDAY Subscription” also published several photos as well as detailed reports.

Click here for a profile of Ryo Eda and the truth behind the embezzlement case ↓.