Fuji TV Banned by Shohei Ohtani Due to Mizuhara Ippei’s Parents’ Home Visit Revealing Previous Conviction

Fuji TV and Nippon TV, who received a “ban” from Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers, are said to be pale-faced.

According to an article published on June 12th in “Gendai Business,” the two companies reportedly angered Ohtani by covering a mansion in Los Angeles that Ohtani purchased, resulting in their “media passes” loaned by the Dodgers being frozen. 

“Do not use past materials of Ohtani.”

It is said to have been communicated.

“The inability to use coverage and footage of Ohtani is a matter of life and death. He’s a superstar that Japan prides itself on, and featuring Ohtani also boosts ratings. It’s truly a cash cow content, so blocking this is no laughing matter.” (Television station official)

Ohtani was upset by the footage that could potentially identify his mansion’s address and persistent interviews with the neighbors.

“In the United States, there have been increasing cases of burglaries targeting celebrities’ homes. Please consider what could happen if his wife, Mamiko, had been at home.

Interviews with neighbors could also potentially harm good neighborly relations. It seems that even the usually mild-mannered Ohtani couldn’t overlook this issue this time.” (Major sports newspaper reporter)

NTV and Fuji TV are currently negotiating with Ohtani’s representatives.

“It’s unlikely they’ll impose a permanent ban, but by causing this issue, Ohtani’s side may have to strictly adhere to the interview rules they’ve set forth.” (Same sports newspaper reporter)

I said.

Especially concerning, Fuji TV has a previous record.

On the evening news program ‘Live News It!’ (Fuji TV), aired on March 21st, they broadcasted footage of the home where the parents of former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, who was charged with bank fraud and other crimes, reside.

“Sorry, just one word. I wanted to ask about the coverage of Ippei Mizuhara’s case. There’s a report that he was involved in gambling.”

When I asked through the door, a man who appeared to be Mizuhara’s father said,

“I don’t know. I don’t know anything about it.”

The man responded. Despite continued questioning from the reporter, finally a woman who seemed to be Mizuhara’s mother said angrily,

“Go home!”

And angrily chased them away with a voice full of rage. According to sources in the wide show industry,

“When this footage aired, there was a flood of online voices saying things like ‘They really went too far’ and ‘No different from annoying YouTubers.’ While it’s standard practice to investigate controversial figures, in the current climate of media criticism, it seems such footage has been deemed unpleasant.”

Pointed out.

Interestingly, it was reported that the team from ‘Live News It!’ took the lead in covering Ohtani’s mansion. The program started in April 2019 and recently appointed former NHK announcer Minoru Aoi as the main caster during this year’s April revision.

“In April, there was a major overhaul, but in terms of viewership, they’re significantly behind the absolute leader, NTV’s ‘news every.’ It seems their determination may have backfired,” noted a source in the wide show industry.

In recent years, Fuji TV has been focusing heavily on news coverage, particularly earning praise for their reporting from the United States. In 2021, they successfully captured Kei Komuro, who was expected to marry Princess Mako, on his own. At that time, Fuji’s reporting methods didn’t receive much criticism.

“Perhaps the traditional concept of reporting no longer applies. It’s an era where the extent of coverage depends on the subject. I don’t think anyone expected Ohtani to be banned,” commented a reporter from the sports entertainment section. 

We hope the ban is lifted as soon as possible.