Fuji TV Furious at Hasegawa Yutaka – Kato-pan Caught in the Fallout

“Hase, that’s just how it is.”

“Not him again.”

A current Fuji TV employee muttered in exasperation.

The source of their frustration is former Fuji TV announcer Yutaka Hasegawa (49). A video featuring Hasegawa and entrepreneur Takafumi Horie (52), discussing the recent Fuji TV controversies, has surpassed an astonishing 5 million views as of February 4.

In the video, Hasegawa directly addressed the alleged tribute culture sparked by former talent Masahiro Nakai’s (52) scandal, affirming its existence. He further claimed that he himself had once been “offered” to talent Osugi during a dinner related to his program Tokudane! (Fuji TV).

According to Hasegawa, after the meal, announcers Shinsuke Kasai and Kyoko Sasaki left first, without waiting for Osugi, and exchanged the following remarks:

Kasai: “Hase, that’s just how it is.”

Sasaki: “Consider it the dinner fee.”

Hasegawa then alleged that while riding the elevator with Osugi afterward, he was subjected to an intense kiss.

As this revelation gained traction, Kasai, one of the individuals named, took to his blog to deny the claims outright. After contacting Sasaki, he stated that he had no memory of dining with Osugi and firmly refuted the allegations, writing:

“I can completely deny the existence of any tribute system.”

“He must be misremembering something.”

He also wrote that he had no recollection of having dinner with Osugi.