Takuya Kimura Kimura, whose “Kyobo” SP drama was “postponed in production…” Fuji TV was shaken by three major companies’ “recommendation to withdraw from commercials”.
Fuji Television has lost face, as expected.
A person involved in the entertainment industry said as much.
Due to the sexual assault case of the late Johnny Kitagawa, clients have been “turning away from Johnny’s.” On September 21, the Teikoku Databank reported that since 2011, the number of advertisements and sales promotion materials featuring Johnny’s has increased by more than 50%.
On September 21, Teikoku Databank reported that of the 65 listed companies that have used Johnny’s celebrities in advertisements and promotional materials since 2011, 32 companies, or about half, have announced that they are reviewing their use of Johnny’s celebrities. The trend is that more and more companies, which initially stated that they would “keep an eye on the situation,” have changed their minds and are now reviewing their use of Janisys’ talents.
In the midst of this trend, it was reported that the filming of a special drama series for Fuji Television’s “Kyobo,” starring actor Takuya Kimura, has been postponed.
Ostensibly, the company is explaining the delay as a lack of preparation for the script and locations, but in reality, it is said to be due to “suggestions” from sponsors to pull out of the project.
The drama depicts the interaction between Kimura’s ruthless instructor at the police academy, Kimichika Kazama, and the students who aspire to become police officers. Kimura’s “dark hero” role, which overturned his previous image, was well received. In the April season of this year, “Kimichika Kazama -Kyoshin Kazama 0-,” which focuses on Kazama’s past, was aired in the “Geki 9” slot.
The special drama was cranked in early October. A person involved in the entertainment industry said
I thought it was strange because I had not heard from the production side even though the shooting was about to start.
The sponsor of “Kyobo” was “Sahaba.
The sponsors of “Kyobo” are Suntory, Kao, and other companies that take a tough stance on the issue of sexual assault. In particular, Takeshi Niinami, president of Suntory Holdings, is the chairman of the Keizai Doyukai (Japan Association of Corporate Executives), and at a recent press conference, he expressed his opposition to the use of Japanese celebrities in advertisements.
He even went so far as to say at a recent press conference that the use of Japanese celebrities in advertisements is “a corporate admission of child abuse.
He even went so far as to say, “This is an admission of child abuse by a company.
In addition, Fuji Television was shaken by the fact that not only the commercial clients of “Kyobo” but also giant sponsors that have a great impact on the TV station as a whole are “withdrawing” from the program.
The station’s sources cited “Nissan Motor,” “McDonald’s Japan,” and “Open House” as three companies. All of these companies use Kimura as their image character and place many advertisements on TV.
These three companies have notified us through their agencies that they will stop airing Mr. Kimura’s commercials until the Johnny’s issue is resolved, and that they are considering withdrawing from commercials. Fuji was taken aback by this offer and decided to postpone the filming of ‘Kyobo.
For Fuji, it is as if they are being asked not to release Takuya Kimura until the sexual assault issue is resolved. Even Kimura Takuya, who until recently was the “top of the top” in the entertainment industry, is now finding it difficult to get sponsors.
I didn’t think the situation would get this bad. If things continue as they are, TV stations will be forced to shut out Japanese talents. This is also affecting those who have been with Johnny’s for a long time. The fact that they have been with the company for a long time means that their image of Johnny’s is well known.
Many Japanese talents are being used in dramas starting in January next year. According to some sports newspapers, there is a move to temporarily halt production of these dramas in the wake of the sexual assault issue. The theory that “the talent is blameless” no longer holds true.
On October 2, Johnny’s will announce a new organization under the leadership of new president Higashiyama. The most likely scenario is that Johnny’s will become a company that only handles compensation for the victims, and the talents will be transferred to a new independent company that has no capital ties with Johnny’s. “Will this really be a bad thing?
It is unclear whether this will be enough to break the bad trend. It all depends on how the sponsors will decide. My personal guess is that we will have to wait and see until Johnny’s settles with the victims and begins to compensate them financially.
I have heard that there is a gap between the amount of compensation that Johnny’s expects and the amount of compensation that the victims are demanding. I don’t think it will go smoothly.
Johnny’s’s groundless fears continue.
PHOTO: Yusuke Kondo