<figure id="attachment_429069" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-429069" style="width: 687px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="09a4ddfb"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/06/0622a0738f532cdafefb5b9bd97c728c.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-429069" class="wp-caption-text">On June 20, NTV will announce that &#8220;TOKIO&#8217;s&#8221; Taichi Kokubun will be leaving &#8220;Tetsuwan Dash&#8221;. &#8230;&#8230;</figcaption></figure>
<h2><span class="strongInContent"> What is happening to a group with a high reputation, including support for Fukushima?</span></h2>
<p> A shocking news has come in about one of the most likable men in the former Johnny&#8217;s office.</p>
<p> NTV is reporting that &#8220;TOKIO&#8217;s&#8221; Taichi Kokubun (50) will be appearing on &#8220;The! Tetsuwan! DASH! DASH!&#8221; on June 20.</p>
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<p> TOKIO made its CD debut in 1994 with &#8220;LOVE YOU ONLY&#8221;, which reached No. 1 on Oricon. TOKIO gained popularity with its band style, in which the members played instruments and wrote lyrics themselves, which was rare among the former Johnny&#8217;s. Kokubu played the keyboard. Kokubu played the keyboard.</p>
<p> Three months and 10 days after their debut, they made their first appearance in the 45th Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Singing Contest) on NHK, which at the time was the fastest appearance ever after their debut. From 1994 to 2005, they made 24 consecutive appearances, establishing their status as national idols.</p>
<p> The year after his debut, the show became the &#8220;epicenter&#8221; of this year&#8217;s &#8220;The! DASH! DASH! DASH!</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> DASH!&#8221; The show was famous for its long-term projects that focused on coexistence with agriculture and nature, such as &#8220;DASH Village&#8221; and &#8220;DASH Island. In the midst of all this, &#8220;DASH Village&#8221; in Fukushima Prefecture was damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. Due to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, the surrounding area was designated as a &#8220;Planned Evacuation Zone&#8221; and off-limits. Even after the disaster, TOKIO continued to support Fukushima as a group that cherishes its ties to the region, and the group was highly respected.</span></p>
<p> However, it was not all smooth sailing for the group.</p>
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<p> In February 2006, Tatsuya Yamaguchi (53), then a member of the group, left the group for calling a high school girl at his Tokyo home and forcibly kissing her. Not only Yamaguchi himself, but also all remaining members of the group held an apology press conference.</p>
<p> Yamaguchi continued to suffer from alcoholism and caused a traffic accident that caused a stir. His withdrawal from the group also led to the disappearance of his consecutive appearances in NHK&#8217;s Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Singing Contest).</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" NTV had a serious matter that it &quot;could not overlook&quot;..."></div>
<h2><span class="strongInContent">A &#8220;serious non-compliance&#8221; that led to his demotion from the board.</span></h2>
<p> Vocalist Tomoya Nagase, 46, also left TOKIO and his Johnny&#8217;s s office at the end of March &#8217;21.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> In April 2009, TOKIO became a three-member group, operating as &#8220;TOKIO Inc. We are no longer able to perform live concerts, and as a company we have been engaged in social contributions, such as launching projects in cooperation with Fukushima Prefecture. It is unbelievable that the always smiling Kokubu-san would commit such a serious noncompliance that he would be forced to step down. Moreover, there is talk of an indefinite suspension of his activities. It is also true that the more of an image gap there is, the more damaging it is for a TV personality. The public will be even more disturbed when they see her backstage face.</span></p>
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<p> On SNS</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> [The second after Mr. Yamaguchi? &#8230;&#8230;</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I liked Mr. Kokubun, so I can&#8217;t help but be puzzled.</span></p>
<p> I can&#8217;t hide my shock.</p>
<p> According to one Nippon TV insider, &#8220;Here comes Kokubu-san&#8217;s power,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> According to one Nittele official, &#8220;It is true that Mr. Kokubu&#8217;s power harassment has become a problem here. He also seems to be causing personal problems, and as expected, NTV could not overlook that. As we can see from the recent Fuji Television issue, if they cover it up badly, they will lose their commercial sponsors and it will become a problem that will affect the existence of the station.</span></p>
<p> He continued, &#8220;The remaining members of the group were the leader, Shigeru Castle Island.</p>
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<p> The only remaining members were the leader, Shigeru Johjima (54), and Masahiro Matsuoka (48). I wonder how they feel about Kokubun.</p>


 Yasuko Sakaguchi

 Former TOKIO member Taichi Kokubun is to leave "Tetsuwan DASH," one of NTV's best-known programs. Moreover, there is a strong possibility that his entertainment activities will be suspended indefinitely. What is the "important matter" behind this? ......

Following Tatsuya Yamaguchi, Taichi Kokubun&#8230; NTV is &#8220;outraged&#8221; and is dropping &#8220;Tetsuwan DASH&#8221; as a &#8220;serious matter&#8221;.

Following Tatsuya Yamaguchi, Taichi Kokubun… NTV is “outraged” and is dropping “Tetsuwan DASH” as a “serious matter”.

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