<figure id="attachment_413230" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4945px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-413230"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="85c64174"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/02/5b0997704ca1e804abc69946b97fdd6d.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-413230" class="wp-caption-text">In the Hyogo gubernatorial election, Takahashi Tachibana made his presence known.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>The lack of preparation of the newscaster revealed in the uncut version</h2>
On February 8, TBS&#8217;s Hōdō Tokushū aired an investigation titled &#8220;Defamation and Misinformation Surrounding the Hyogo Gubernatorial Election: An Examination of Takahashi Tachibana’s Source — A Single Document.&#8221; This segment revisited the spread of false information by Takahashi Tachibana, the leader of the &#8220;Party to Protect the People from NHK&#8221; (57 years old).
The show had previously featured Tachibana in a special on January 25, titled &#8220;The Late Former Hyogo Prefectural Assembly Member Hideaki Takeuchi: Takahashi Tachibana’s Fabrication Claims,&#8221; and now, just weeks later, took another deep dive into Tachibana’s actions. This quick follow-up shows the program’s serious approach to the topic.
&#8220;The reason they revisited Tachibana might be related to his criticism of the previous broadcast, accusing it of biased reporting. Also, although it was cut from the broadcast, in the uncut version of Tachibana&#8217;s video, anchor Masaki Kusakabe (65) is verbally attacked by Tachibana, being called stupid and an old, overprotective woman. Kusakabe tries to remain calm, but he was clearly upset. This second feature may have also served as a form of revenge,&#8221; said a TBS insider.
In the previous broadcast, it appeared that Hōdō Tokushū was investigating the defamation and spread of misinformation surrounding the late former Hyogo Prefectural Assembly member Hideaki Takeuchi, and seemed to severely scrutinize Tachibana. However, watching the uncut version of Tachibana&#8217;s video reveals Kusakabe&#8217;s lack of preparation.
Several times during the interview, Kusakabe’s phone receives additional questions from staff, interrupting the interview. At other times, he seems caught off-guard by Tachibana’s rebuttals and is unable to respond. The way he is swayed by Tachibana’s logic might lead viewers who distrust traditional media and believe that TV selectively edits unfavorable content to suspect bias.
&#8220;Tachibana hates being called a liar more than anything. When the anchor tried to question Tachibana’s lies, Tachibana responded, &#8216;There are only two lies. Are there any others?&#8217; and the anchor fell silent. I was disappointed that he couldn&#8217;t counter. Tachibana has told numerous lies in past videos, and unless the interviewer digs deeper, it’s impossible to corner him. From watching Hōdō Tokushū, I felt the research was thorough, but the interview could have been more pointed. The anchor seemed poised, but watching Tachibana’s YouTube videos, Kusakabe appears to have been overwhelmed,&#8221; said a weekly magazine reporter.
Perhaps due to this realization, this time, rather than conducting a long interview with Tachibana, the program delves deeper into the dark side of the Hyogo gubernatorial election held last November.
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Initially, Tachibana claimed to have received the money from the lieutenant governor. ......"></div>
In the Hyogo gubernatorial election, where social media played a significant role, Takahashi Tachibana, an unexpected outsider, suddenly announced his candidacy. As the election campaign, which came to be known as a two-horse race, began, Tachibana clearly showed support for former Governor Saito Motohiko (47), spreading false information that seemed to benefit Saito&#8217;s chances.
One of the key pieces of evidence he cited was a document that Tachibana obtained. This document, which he released on November 5 last year, contained suspicious and unfounded claims, including that a former prefectural official had cheated with 10 people in 10 years and that the mastermind behind it was Prefectural Assembly member Hideaki Takeuchi.
Initially, Tachibana claimed that he had received the information from former Deputy Governor Katayama Yasutaka, but this turned out to be false. He later corrected the source, stating that it came from a Hyogo Prefectural Assembly member. However, he refused to disclose the identity of the assembly member, citing the need to protect the source. On January 27, Tachibana unexpectedly revealed that the individual who handed him the document was Minoru Kishiguchi, a member of the Japan Innovation Party and the vice-chairman of the Hyogo Prefecture Assembly&#8217;s special committee.
<h2>He claimed that there was substantial truth to the matter</h2>
A reporter from a television station in Osaka speaks about Tachibana’s change in mindset:
&#8220;Last year, after being questioned by the police, he must have realized that he was under investigation. To claim that the information he spread, which was being labeled as defamation, had &#8216;substantial truth,&#8217; he needed to prove that the source was objectively reliable. If he insists on keeping the source confidential, his own safety becomes a concern. He has also mentioned that the reason he is certain the information is true isn&#8217;t just because of the document, but also because of what former Deputy Governor Katayama said during the special committee meeting. However, relying solely on that may not be enough.&#8221;
&#8220;It wasn&#8217;t me.&#8221;
He completely denied it. This must have shocked Tachibana as well.
In the video released after the broadcast, Tachibana takes a shot at Assembly Member Kishiguchi.
&#8220;I received the document from Assembly Member Kishiguchi.&#8221; he asserted.
He also revealed that, the day before the press conference, he had spoken on the phone with Assembly Member Kishiguchi, who had asked him to lie.
As he himself stated, if things continue like this, Tachibana will become the biggest villain. With the start of the two&#8217;s fallout, their evil scheme is about to be exposed.
In response to this, Yoshimura Hirofumi, the representative of the Japan Innovation Party, stated at a regular press conference,
He stated, &#8220;The name of Assembly Member Kishiguchi has clearly come up from Mr. Tachibana. Therefore, we have determined that it is necessary to properly confirm the facts. I have instructed the Secretary-General to verify the facts.&#8221;
He clearly stated that the party would conduct an investigation.
At the end of the &#8220;Report Special,&#8221; newscaster Kusakabe said, 
&#8220;There are forces using Mr. Tachibana&#8217;s information dissemination power to provide information.&#8221;
With the mystery of Tachibana&#8217;s candidacy included, the dark side of the Hyogo gubernatorial election is about to be revealed.

 Hiroyuki Sasaki (Entertainment Journalist)

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