Friday captures Ken Watabe’s “606 days to resumption of activities and behind the scenes of his return”.

The news of his return was sudden and unexpected.

Ken Watabe (49) of Un-jash, who has been on hiatus since June 2008 due to his “multi-purpose toilet affair,” announced his resumption of activities through his agency on February 5. On February 5, Ken Watabe (49) of Un-jash, who had been on hiatus since June 2008 due to his “multi-purpose toilet affair,” announced through his office that he would resume his activities. At the same time, it was announced that he would appear in the February 15 episode of his flagship program “Monochrome Un-jash” on Chiba TV.

That’s all well and good, but why the timing of his return? The apology press conference he held in December 2008 caused a firestorm, and in February 2009, it was revealed that he was working part-time at the Toyosu market, but his image has not recovered. It is also unclear why he decided to return to “Black and White Un-jash. There have been rumors that the special program of “Laugh Should Not Series” at the end of 2008 and “Matrix no Eru Hourei Hounsoujo” in May 2009 would be the stage for his return. This was planned by Mr. T, a major producer at Nippon Television Network Corporation.

Mr. T is a talented producer of “Gyoretsu” and “Gakitsushitarashi,” and he is so close to Mr. Watabe that he was the only TV station employee to be invited to his wedding. He was the only TV station employee who was invited to Mr. Watabe’s wedding. Actually, there was talk of him appearing in the special program of “Matrix” last summer, but the sponsor didn’t approve it until the very last minute. In fact, there was talk of him appearing in a special edition of “Matrix” last summer, but the sponsor didn’t allow it until the last minute, and the fact remained that even with Mr. T, they couldn’t get him to return.

It is said that Mr. T continued to search for a way to return, but it was Watabe who raised his voice first. A close friend of Mr. T’s told us, “After repeated failures to return to work, Mr. Watabe took the initiative.

After repeated failures to return to work, by last fall, he had half given up on returning to the entertainment industry. She was thinking of using the contacts she had made through gourmet food to run a restaurant without revealing her name.

It was at the end of last year that he changed his mind. The office that he works for, the wife Nozomi Sasaki (34), who supports the household alone, and his partner Kazuya Kojima (49), who struggles alone, made Watabe change his mind.

Kazuya said, “Mr. Kojima never mentioned the breakup, but only said he would wait. He kept the duo’s flagship program, “Black and White Un-jash,” by himself. There were reports that the two did not get along and did not keep in touch, but this is completely false information.

(Next page)

With the support of the people around him, Watabe has been able to look forward again. According to the friend mentioned above, “At the end of last year, he asked the office directly, ‘I want to come back.

He chose Chiba TV because it was the agency’s decision. The reason he chose Chiba TV is because it is an independent local station and there are not many ties in the industry. Chiba TV must have been grateful to me for continuing the program for 17 years even after it became a big hit. The talks seemed to come together quickly, and two weeks later, on January 13, I was greeted with the words, ‘I’m coming back to Chiba TV.

This will be her first restart in 18 months, but a mid-level staff member of a key station said, “A tough future awaits us.

The announcement was probably made to take advantage of the gap in the public’s attention between the sixth wave of Covid-19 and the Beijing Olympics, but it seems that they had not yet reached an agreement with Chiba TV, and at one point, Chiba TV denied that they would be returning, which made them stand out. His reputation in the TV industry has not changed at all. Anyway, I think it’s important to be able to do things steadily and carefully.

The thorny path continues.

From “FRIDAY” February 25, 2022 issue