Acting Like a King Harassment Forces Complete Cancellation of Hiroshi Ikushima’s Arrogant Radio Episode

A saga he often told to those around him

On January 27, Hiroshi Ikushima, a former TBS announcer who had been working as a freelancer, suddenly announced his departure from two TBS radio programs: “Ikushima Hiroshi’s Ohayou Teishoku” and “Ikushima Hiroshi’s Ohayou Ittokusen.” 

TBS Radio explained that the decision was made after confirming a serious compliance violation by Ikushima that contradicted TBS Group’s human rights policy. Ikushima also issued an apology and announced an indefinite hiatus from activities via his agency’s website.

The nature of the serious compliance violation was reported to involve Ikushima placing uncensored obscene images in a shared file accessible to female staff, leading to a sexual harassment complaint. While this incident seems to have been a major factor, there are also other reasons behind his sudden departure. Staff members from TBS have reported that Ikushima had been acting like a king, frequently engaging in power and sexual harassment towards junior staff. He was also known to boast about his martial arts skills, sometimes even physically intimidating weaker staff members.

Given recent media scandals involving celebrities, such as the reported troubles of Masahiro Nakai of Johnny & Associates, TBS could not afford to ignore or conceal Ikushima’s behavior. This likely led to their decision to terminate his association with the station. It appears that a return to the public eye is unlikely for Ikushima.

Ikushima’s career began in 1976 when he joined TBS after graduating from California State University. In 1989, he left TBS to become a freelancer and later established his talent agency, Ikushima Planning Office. He became a successful and influential figure in the entertainment industry, even hosting shows like TV Asahi’s “Music Station.” However, behind his public success, there were persistent reports of power harassment and sexual harassment, as well as stories of his arrogant behavior outside the workplace.

“Would you like to talk to me?”

It has been reported that a certain founder of a mixed martial arts organization was a high school classmate of Hiroshi Ikushima. One day, Ikushima visited their dojo, where he allegedly attempted to force his presence on uninterested students by saying, “I’m a celebrity, you want to talk to me, right? Come over here.” He also reportedly asked the founder to make him a black belt in exchange for publicity, only to be refused. These actions led to Ikushima being disliked at the dojo.

In some cases, famous individuals are granted honorary black belts. However, whispers among the dojo members suggested that the judgment was made based on the belief that Ikushima’s “character” was not worthy of a black belt.

Additionally, in the aftermath of the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, Ikushima reportedly lost his sister. At the time, he was giving a lecture in a hotel in Sendai. He later mentioned that he was able to return to Tokyo the following day, despite the chaos caused by the disaster, by switching taxis. However, a different story began to spread in his hometown.

Local reports claimed that on the day of the disaster, there were long lines for taxis at Sendai Station, and Ikushima, desperate to return to Tokyo, allegedly pushed his way through the crowd and forced his way into a taxi. While he may not have intended to act this way, to the people around him, this behavior was seen as arrogant. For those close to him, these types of actions may have been part of a pattern that led to accusations of harassment.

These instances paint a picture of Ikushima’s behavior that, while perhaps not intentional, was perceived as entitled and disrespectful, especially when combined with other reports of power harassment and sexual harassment.

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