“Don’t Let Yourself Be Targeted”—Hiroshi Kume’s Timeless Advice to Young Anchors

“I’m Matsui, a new employee.”

“Kume-san was everything I aspired to. To be able to work on the same program as such a godlike presence. I sincerely pray for his peace.”

These words come from former TV Asahi announcer Yasumasa Matsui (62).

When Matsui calls him a godlike presence, he is referring to Hiroshi Kume (age 81 at his passing), whose death was announced on January 13. Matsui was in charge of the sports segment from 1987 to 1991 on News Station (TV Asahi, hereafter N Station), where Kume served as the main anchor. Matsui reflects on his precious memories with Kume:

“Even when I was in my hometown in Toyama Prefecture, I often watched the programs Kume-san appeared on. He was a presence greater than mere admiration. N Station started broadcasting in October 1985, the day before I had the final CEO interview at TV Asahi as a senior at university (Tokyo Institute of Technology, now Tokyo University of Science). I felt some kind of connection.”

Matsui recalls meeting Kume by chance in an elevator shortly after joining TV Asahi:

“Kume-san had no way of knowing about a first-year employee like me. I introduced myself, saying, ‘I’m Matsui, a new employee. I look up to you as my goal.’ Kume-san replied, ‘It’s annoying when someone arbitrarily makes me their goal.’

He was so cool. I didn’t feel the least bit uncomfortable. Kume-san never said anything perfunctory on the programs he appeared on. He would go beyond what people expected, sometimes making comments that sparked controversy. When he said, ‘It’s annoying,’ I felt it was such a Kume-san thing to say, and it made me happy.”

“Waste of tax money, I was teased about”

In the fall of his second year at the company, Matsui was selected to be the sports correspondent for N Station.

“The previous sports correspondent was TV Asahi senior Satoshi Asaoka, but he moved to an evening news program. At that time, I was in charge of Music Station on Fridays, and other days were open, so I was probably chosen.

When I first started on N Station, I couldn’t even face Kume-san, who sat about 30 cm to my left in the studio. Kume-san was 20 years my senior and felt like someone on another plane. I was too intimidated. It wasn’t until a few months later that I could finally converse with him. He began teasing me, saying things like, ‘You graduated from Tokyo Institute of Technology, so if you don’t become an engineer, it’s a waste of tax money.’”

Even after leaving N Station, Matsui continued to regard Kume-san as his goal as an announcer. Like Kume, he made a point never to give perfunctory comments, always striving to speak his own mind.

“A couple of years ago, I ran into a senior from Kume-san’s agency in Shibuya. I recalled, ‘I was chosen for N Station by chance and got to work with Kume-san,’ and received an unexpected reply. That person said, ‘Kume-san personally said you were the one he wanted.’

Kume-san may have recommended me after watching me on Music Station. Even though it had been over 30 years since I left N Station on one hand I regretted not knowing sooner, but on the other, I was happy to feel recognized by a godlike figure.”

Matsui cherished Kume-san’s style as a broadcaster who never did anything halfheartedly. Those words from a god continue to live on in the hearts of viewers and younger colleagues today.