[Interview] Mr. Kiritani Talks About His Dream Appearance on Shikujiri Sensei — and Why Other TV Shows Are Off-Limits

“I’ve been banned from appearing on other variety shows.”

Investor and shogi player Hiroto Kiritani (76)—known affectionately as “Kiritani-san” for his lifestyle centered on stockholder perks—has sparked controversy with a recent post on X.

After appearing on the October 13 broadcast of Monday Late Night Discussions (Getsuyou kara Yofukashi, Nippon TV), Kiritani updated his X account the following day, writing:

“After appearing on Yofukashi, I’ve been banned from appearing on other variety shows (they say ratings drop if I show up elsewhere).”

With that, he revealed that the program’s producers had effectively locked him in for exclusive appearances.

Online reactions were divided. Some commented approvingly, saying:

“It’s fine if he just keeps appearing on Yofukashi.”

But many criticized the television industry’s practices, posting comments such as:

“The TV industry is still stuck in the past.”

“It’s unbelievable that networks still do this kind of thing.”

Kiritani’s post has since been widely covered by online news outlets, reaching over 41.81 million impressions on X as of October 19.

Kiritani first appeared on Yofukashi in 2013. More than twelve years later, despite the ongoing popularity of his shareholder perk lifestyle, the fact that he has appeared on no other variety shows remains a highly unusual situation.

“I feel sorry toward Cunning Takeyama.”

So, our site conducted a direct interview with Mr. Kiritani.

— On X, you wrote that “\you’ve been banned from appearing on other variety shows. Does that mean you’re dissatisfied with Yofukashi?

“No, I didn’t post it because I was dissatisfied. Someone on X asked me, ‘Why don’t you appear on other programs?’ and I just answered honestly.”

— Your comment became a hot topic, covered by online news outlets and reaching over 40 million impressions on X.

“I had no idea it was such a big deal until FRIDAY asked me about it.”

— Still, do you feel frustrated that you can’t appear on other programs?

“At first, when I started appearing on TV, I did want to be on other shows too. But thanks to Yofukashi, I became well-known and started getting invited to give lots of lectures. In that sense, I’m only grateful. That said, the one who really brought me into the spotlight was the comedian Cunning Takeyama. He invited me on his shows several times, but I had to turn him down, and I still feel truly sorry about that. It’s something that weighs on my mind.”

— Lastly, to be honest, is there any variety show other than Yofukashi you’d like to appear on?

“I’d like to be on Shikujiri Sensei: Don’t Be Like Me!! (TV Asahi), which has reached out to me several times. I’ve made plenty of blunders with stocks myself, so I think I could share some interesting stories there. But honestly, I’m so busy now with lecture engagements almost every day that I just don’t have the time to appear on other shows.”

Mr. Kiritani, who revealed on air that he owns between 1,400 and 1,500 stocks and has total assets of about 700 million yen, seems to have found himself at the center of this “appearance ban” controversy precisely because of his enduring popularity.