Seiji Chihara’s Late Apology Exposes a Big Difference in Judgment from Chocolate Planet

It spread online after he was accused of mocking bullied children

Comedian Seiji Chihara (55), who faced backlash over his bullied kid remark, released an apology video on October 3.

Appearing in a black suit, he said:

“I sincerely apologize to everyone who felt uncomfortable after seeing various information about this controversy,”

and bowed his head seven times during the video.

The controversy he referred to began in July this year, when during a YouTube video featuring Saitama Prefecture’s Toda City councilor Yusuke Kawai (44)—known as “Joker”—Chihara said:

“You’ve got that bullied-kid aura, don’t you? You were bullied as a kid, right? Hahaha!”

The remark quickly spread online, where many accused him of mocking bullied children, leading to a storm of criticism.

However, after the backlash, Chihara neither deleted the video for some time nor issued an apology, which seemed to take a toll on his career.

His regular radio show “Daigumo & Seiji’s Monk Radio” (KBS Kyoto) ended with its August 31 broadcast. In addition, his scheduled talk show at Boat Race Suminoe in Osaka on September 12 was suddenly canceled.

Furthermore, his YouTube channel remained inactive since the day after the controversial video with Kawai—until the release of this apology video.

According to an entertainment industry insider:

“Yoshimoto (his agency) advised him early on to apologize quickly to contain the situation. But Seiji himself hesitated, and as time passed without action, the situation only worsened.”

Adding to the blow, Chihara had undergone ordination at Enryaku-ji Temple, the head temple of the Tendai sect, in May 2024, taking the monk name Seiken. That November, he even became an advisor for the Japan Buddhist Association—making the controversy all the more damaging.

ChocoPla shaved their own heads with clippers

“When the controversy erupted in July, the Japan Buddhist Association had already announced back on June 25—before the backlash—that Seiji Chihara had resigned as an advisor. However, on September 30, the association issued another statement titled, ‘We would like to inform you of the facts surrounding his resignation,’ revealing that he had effectively been dismissed for conduct deemed inappropriate for an association advisor.

The reason the association chose to issue a more detailed statement over two months later was because it had been flooded with complaints, including abusive messages. This likely happened because Seiji remained silent and never apologized. If he had responded promptly after the backlash, the trouble for the association could have been minimized, and they might not have needed to issue this additional statement,” said an entertainment industry insider.

Another name that comes to mind when it comes to backlash is the comedy duo Chocolate Planet (ChocoPla). On September 10, Shun Matsuo said on his own YouTube channel:

“When it comes to online abuse, I’ve always thought that people who aren’t entertainers or athletes shouldn’t be on social media. Like, what are ordinary people even doing posting stuff?”

This comment became known as his ordinary people shouldn’t use SNS remark and caused controversy.

After the comment spread and the backlash grew, ChocoPla deleted the video and released a public apology video on September 18.

“The two appeared in all-black outfits, wearing solemn expressions as they offered words of apology. Afterwards, Matsuo and his partner Shohei Nagata used clippers to shave their own heads to show remorse,” said a sports newspaper reporter.

Online reactions to the apology included:

“Matsuo was laughing.”

“Why was there any need to shave their heads?”

Nagata was also criticized for appearing on a TV show wearing a wig. However, the backlash seemed short-lived; there have been no reports of sponsors or shows cutting ties with them.

Seiji, on the other hand, when I directly interviewed him after a talk event on September 19 and asked how he felt about the impact on his work, responded confidently:

“There’s no impact. I’ve got a stage show tomorrow.”

Before the video with Yusuke Kawai, Seiji had also posted interview videos featuring politicians such as Sohei Kamiya, head of the Sanseito party, and Yasushi Adachi, a member of the Democratic Party for the People. However, due to this backlash, producing politically themed content will likely be more difficult.

What’s even more damaging, though, is the distance now forming between him and the Buddhist community.

Not only did his radio program with Daigumo Miki, chief priest of Renkūji Temple, come to an end, but Seiji had also been active in Buddhist-related work—serving as a corporate training lecturer, giving talks in the funeral industry, and delivering Buddhist sermons at events. But now that the Japan Buddhist Association has made it clear that he was effectively dismissed, continuing such activities may prove difficult.

If he had, like ChocoPla, promptly apologized and explained himself after the backlash, the controversy probably wouldn’t have spread this far.

He’s lost a lot, but Seiji Chihara has always managed to bounce back from numerous scandals before. The question now is—what will his next move be on the path to a comeback?