Ayaka Ogawa of News23 Confronts Yuichiro Tamaki in Akihabara—Quashes Rumors of LDP-Driven Resignation

Unfounded speculation spread on its own

One week before the Upper House election voting day, on Sunday, July 13, party leaders from across the political spectrum held street speeches around the country. At the Electric Town Exit of Akihabara Station in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward, the Democratic Party for the People (DPP) leader Yuichiro Tamaki (56) and the party’s newcomer candidate Mayu Ushida (40) gave a campaign speech from just after 1:00 p.m.

Just before the event, among the TBS television crew covering the speech, a tall, fair-skinned woman stood out—it was Ayaka Ogawa (40), the main anchor of TBS’s news23.

“Ayaka Ogawa made headlines during the July 1st broadcast when she moderated a televised debate featuring the leaders of eight ruling and opposition parties. During the debate, Liberal Democratic Party president and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (68) began explaining the proper pricing of rice, but his explanation was likely longer than expected. Ogawa interjected, saying, ‘If possible, we’d appreciate it if you could keep your answer concise.’ To which Ishiba, visibly displeased, snapped back, ‘It’s not that simple.’

Ogawa responded calmly, ‘I understand,’ but two days later, she was absent from the program. That absence sparked speculation online, with comments like, ‘Was there pressure from the LDP?!’ and ‘Ogawa is in a weak position,’ flooding social media,” said a sports newspaper reporter.

On the July 9 episode of news23, Ogawa addressed the matter, explaining that her absence had been a pre-scheduled day off. She added:

“I felt a sense of fear about how speculation can spread and become accepted as fact on its own. I never imagined it would blow up like this.”

The scene at Akihabara happened over that same weekend. Naturally, there was interest in what Ogawa would say in the program the following day after covering party leaders’ street speeches.

Dressed in a dark navy shirt and black pants, with her long hair tied back in a ponytail, Ogawa stood alone a short distance away from the rest of her crew, quietly listening to Ushida and Tamaki’s speeches. At one point, likely as a heatstroke precaution, she stood under a sunshade offered by a female staff member and sipped a sports drink. After the speeches ended, Ogawa approached Tamaki and conducted an interview.

Japan is in danger if things continue like this

On the following day’s program, footage showed not only that scene [with Tamaki of the Democratic Party for the People], but also Ogawa conducting street interviews with voters. But Ogawa’s coverage for the day didn’t end there.

“A segment in the program also showed her covering a speech by Sanseito’s leader, Sohei Kamiya (47), held in Moriya City, Ibaraki Prefecture. Ogawa was seen speaking with a couple in their 40s who said they support the Sanseito,” said a TV magazine writer.

When anchor Shohei Fujimori (46) asked Ogawa, “What did you feel after conducting these interviews?”, she responded:

“What struck me across the board was the presence of many working-age and child-rearing generations. There was a shared sense of stagnation and anxiety, with comments like, ‘Japan is in danger if things go on like this,’ and ‘We can’t leave things to the current political leaders.’”

“This is an election, after all. We should go to the polls with a calm and broad perspective, keeping in mind that our decisions will directly shape the future.”

This elicited comments like “So level-headed, as expected,” and “It felt like she maintained some distance from the excessive enthusiasm surrounding Sanseito.” Her fans on social media appeared relieved.

On the scorching hot day of July 13, Ayaka Ogawa appeared in front of JR Akihabara Station as part of a reporting crew.

At one point, a staff member offered her a parasol for shade.

With a stern expression, Ayaka Ogawa listened intently to the speech by Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People.

After the speech ended, Ayaka Ogawa directly interviewed Representative Yuichiro Tamaki.