<figure id="attachment_399600" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2221px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-399600"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="85c92d8d"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/11/b3ec0bd5a06c7013311bfdfa5f80017c.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-399600" class="wp-caption-text">Comedian Yasuko runs 80 kilometers in the charity marathon on 24 Hour TV</figcaption></figure>
Comedian Yasuko is facing a wave of criticism.
The incident began on November 1st during the broadcast of The Common Ten! A Special Episode Featuring Famous Products from All Over Japan and Women with Overflowing Grocery Bills (on Fuji TV). On that day, Yasuko, as a guest, was followed while enjoying a shopping spree. It so happened that the recording day coincided with her payday, so she checked the amount of her deposit.
Upon seeing the amount, Yasuko exclaimed, 
 
&#8220;Eh?!&#8221; 
 
and then continued, 
 
&#8220;What happened?&#8221; 
 
It&#8217;s easy to imagine that the amount transferred was much higher than she expected.
<h2>TV money transferred to her two months after she appeared on the show.</h2>
As evidence of that, she gleamed and said,
&#8220;This is the highest amount ever.&#8221;
In the studio, she also mentioned that as soon as she saw the amount,
&#8220;I couldn&#8217;t stop laughing.&#8221;
It’s intriguing how much was actually deposited, but
&#8220;Not all agencies, but recently the relationship between agencies and talents has improved, and it’s no longer the case that agencies take 70% to 90% of the fee like in the past. 50% is normal, and at most 60%. Yasuko is currently the most popular comedian, so I think she usually gets a decent fee. Still, the fact that she was so astonished means it was probably quite a large amount.&#8221; (An executive from a major talent agency)
Of course, there are exceptions, but as Yasuko herself mentioned, TV appearance fees are often paid two months after the work is done. The payment is made from the network to the agency, from which the agency&#8217;s share is deducted, and then the talent themselves is paid.
&nbsp;
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Nippon TV has admitted that the &quot;gratuity&quot; is called a fee."></div>
&#8220;The broadcast of the program was on November 1st, which means the shoot probably took place at least two weeks before the broadcast, so by the end of October, even considering the time taken for editing. Based on this, the payment must have been for work done in August. It depends on how much Yasuko was working during that time, but if the fee is considered extraordinary, it can only be for &#8216;that&#8217;.&#8221; (TV network producer)
Yasuko&#8217;s appearances on TV shows have been rapidly increasing, and when considering jobs that might have commanded high fees, what likely comes to mind for viewers is the broadcast of 24-Hour Television 47: Does Love Save the Earth? (on Nippon TV) from August 31 to September 1.
Yasuko was selected as one of the runners for the annual &#8220;Charity Marathon&#8221; segment of the show, and there was much speculation about her appearance fee, or salary, for that appearance.
For many years, the fee for the &#8220;Charity Marathon&#8221; has been a topic of debate, with differing opinions. The most common criticism is:
&#8220;It’s strange to pay such a high appearance fee for a charity event.&#8221;
According to an employee at an advertising agency:
&#8220;The premise of that opinion is that the fee is &#8216;high.&#8217; While the exact amount is not known, the figure of 10 million yen is circulating. If that were true, considering it as the appearance fee for one program, it would certainly be considered an extraordinary sum. It’s an amount unimaginable for most people, but such figures are possible when Hollywood’s biggest stars appear live on a show.&#8221; (Advertising agency employee)
Still, because it is a charity program, the nature of the payment is different.
&nbsp;
<h2>No pay is my offer.</h2>
In response to the rumors circulating about a 10 million yen appearance fee for the charity marathon, Yasuko herself refuted the claims on her social media:
&#8220;There are rumors going around about a 10 million yen fee for the charity marathon, but I didn’t receive a single yen! You should stop believing in speculation and rumors.&#8221;
She continued:
&#8220;No fee was because &#8216;it was my own offer.'&#8221;
However, it was later revealed that a large amount of money had been deposited into her account, although it was unclear whether it was payment for the marathon work. This led viewers to start questioning her. It’s understandable that the public might feel like saying, “Wait, you’re getting paid after all.”
An executive from a major talent agency previously mentioned:
&#8220;It&#8217;s easy to imagine that the payment from Nippon TV to her agency was significant. During that period, she was probably training daily for the marathon, so she likely didn&#8217;t have many other jobs. The time required for training was significant, and running the marathon itself would have been exhausting. Naturally, she would have had to cut back on other work. It’s likely that Nippon TV covered this by paying what could be considered a &#8216;necessary expense&#8217; or &#8216;production cooperation fee.&#8217; The amount Yasuko checked on her smartphone during the show was presented as her total salary, but we don’t know if it had a detailed breakdown. Even if it did, if it was a lump sum for all work done with Nippon TV, she may not have known if it was connected to 24-Hour Television.&#8220;
Without such compensation, her income would have decreased during the training period, leading to financial difficulties for both her and her agency.
But given that Yasuko was astonished and couldn’t stop laughing, it must have been a considerable amount. Without her revealing the breakdown of her monthly income, the truth remains unclear. It&#8217;s likely that Yasuko wasn&#8217;t lying, and she doesn&#8217;t seem to be at fault.
In fact, Nippon TV has addressed these questions in the past. In 2000, the network responded to audience inquiries via the Broadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization (BPO):
&#8220;Regarding the appearance fees for talents on 24-Hour Television, we generally ask for volunteer participation. However, for those who have long hours of commitment, we may provide a token payment as a gesture of appreciation.&#8221;
&#8220;Some talents choose to decline the payment.&#8221;
Nevertheless, the issue that arises is the incongruity of paying any money to the performers on a charity program. Many people are frustrated by the ongoing rumors about the fees.
To address this, perhaps the talents could be encouraged to donate their appearance fees, if they choose to, and publicly disclose that. Though, there&#8217;s a risk that no talent would be willing to participate if that were the case.

 Hiroyuki Sasaki (entertainment journalist)

 Ichiro Takatsuka

 Yasuko, a pin-up comedian, completed 80 km in the "24 Hour TV" charity marathon. Just before the race, she was involved in an "outburst" by Huwa-chan, and there were concerns about her mental health. ......

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