Hiroshi Ikushima’s Abrupt Dismissal: Executives’ Sudden Order, “Don’t Touch Your Smartphone”

Freelance announcer Hiroshi Ikushima (74) has stepped down from two regular programs on TBS Radio. The reason given is a compliance violation.

Looking at former talent Masahiro Nakai (52)’s troubles involving women and the related Fuji TV scandal, it’s easy to grasp how serious compliance violations are in today’s society. The overwhelming reaction to Ikushima’s punishment has been, 

“Well, it can’t be helped.”

However, staff from rival stations unanimously describe Ikushima’s resignation as:

“A massive incident.”

Let’s first review the timeline.

On January 27, after the broadcast of TBS Radio’s “Hiroshi Ikushima no Ohayou Teishoku” and “Hiroshi Ikushima no Ohayou Itchokusen,” the sudden announcement of Ikushima’s departure was made. The reason cited was power harassment and sexual harassment toward program production staff. The station officially stated:

“Due to a serious compliance violation that goes against the TBS Group Human Rights Policy.”

Ikushima’s company, “Ikushima Kikaku-shitsu,” announced his resignation from all executive positions and an indefinite suspension of entertainment activities. On its official website, Ikushima himself explained:

“I sent an inappropriate photo, which I had received from a friend, to radio staff, and a female staff member pointed out that she found it extremely unpleasant. Additionally, during a 90-minute live morning broadcast, I unintentionally became harsh toward the staff.”

A veteran employee from another network commented:

“‘Ohayou Teishoku’ was only five episodes away from its landmark 7,000th broadcast. For them to remove him before reaching that milestone suggests the situation was extremely urgent.”

The same employee, citing information heard from those involved, revealed what happened at the moment Ikushima was “fired.”

Cutting off Ikushima was carried out in secret.

“While Ikushima was inside the booth broadcasting live, TBS Radio executives, who were not scheduled to visit, suddenly arrived in a group. The staff, caught off guard, were instructed, ‘Do not touch any communication devices, including smartphones.’ This was likely a measure to prevent information leaks. Then, after the broadcast ended, Ikushima was called into a separate room, where he was confronted with multiple instances of compliance violations and told, ‘You are being removed.’ I heard that he had no chance to argue.”

Normally, when a main personality is removed or a program is canceled, the information is shared in advance among advertising agencies. Like television, radio also relies on sponsors.

“This time, however, that didn’t happen. Even the agencies were caught completely off guard and went into a panic. The decision to cut Ikushima was carried out in complete secrecy,” said an entertainment reporter from a sports newspaper.

In fact, Ikushima’s power harassment toward staff was well known even at other stations. A veteran employee from another network stated:

“It was an open secret in the industry that he treated subordinates harshly. One by one, staff members quit, saying they no longer wanted to be involved with him.”

At the same time, Ikushima himself often acted as a salesman, securing sponsors for his programs.

“These sponsors were referred to as ‘Ikushima slots.’ Part of the reason Ikushima became an untouchable presence was his exceptional sales skills. He would casually report, ‘Company X is going to fund us this time,’ as if it were nothing. Additionally, the shopping segments within his programs were highly profitable, which was a great benefit for TBS Radio,” said a TBS insider.

Ikushima was a major contributor to TBS Radio. That is precisely why his sudden dismissal has left staff at rival stations in shock.

“I wouldn’t have been surprised if a weekly magazine had exposed Ikushima’s power harassment and sexual harassment at any moment. As we’ve seen with the Fuji TV scandal, there’s a huge difference between acting after the media reports something and taking internal action before it gets out. Given the urgency of the situation, they likely dealt with this risk factor as quickly as possible,” said the sports newspaper reporter.

While it may have been a case of reaping what you sow, Ikushima himself likely never imagined he would be removed from his life’s work in this manner.