ABC Grilled Over Alleged Staged Confession in Detective! Night Scoop Young Carer Controversy

Presented as a dramatization for the program’s editing and composition

On the January 23 broadcast of “Detective! Night Scoop” (ABC TV, Kansai local), a controversy has arisen over whether the requester might be a young carer.

Appearing as the requester was a sixth-grade elementary school boy living in Hiroshima Prefecture. As the eldest of six siblings, with both parents working, he and his father are said to be in charge of the household chores.

After the broadcast, it sparked online backlash, with people claiming the eldest son might be a young carer who had been made responsible for housework and childcare by his parents. His mother’s social media accounts were also identified, leading to abusive comments being posted.

Regarding this young carer suspicion, former House of Representatives member Fumiaki Kobayashi, chair of the LDP’s Economy, Trade and Industry Division, posted on X on the 25th:

“We have shared the matter with the relevant administrative bodies, and they will respond carefully, including the board of education.”

The situation thus escalated into a controversy involving the political world.

Amid this, on January 26 the “Detective! Night Scoop” side acknowledged staging on its official website, further fueling the uproar.

“In the relevant broadcast, the scene in which the father—who usually stays at home and is in charge of housework and childcare—goes out leaving the infants behind, as well as the mother’s line at the end of the VTR saying, ‘Cook the rice, seven cups,’ were presented as dramatizations for the program’s editing and composition. These do not show the actual living conditions or the full picture of the interviewee’s daily life as they are.”

they commented. Furthermore, the text of the eldest son’s request, which was broadcast as:

“Honestly, I’m tired of being the eldest. Since I was born, I’ve only ever been the eldest, so even if just for one day, I want to be the second son,”

was also a staged composition by the program. The original request was said to be along the lines of:

“All eight family members cooperate and work hard with housework and childcare, but I’m the one who works the hardest. I want you to investigate how this compares to children in other families.”

It was also revealed that the eldest son has time to attend his beloved basketball lessons three to four times a week.

Looking at the program’s statement, it gives an impression that is greatly different from what was aired. The phrase in the comment,

“presented as a dramatization for the program’s editing and composition,”

has been taken as an admission of staging, further intensifying the online backlash.

Suspicions of fabricated requests have also surfaced

“This program is presented as being based on requests from ordinary people, but a large number of writers are involved in its structure. It’s well known within the industry that it’s heavily staged,” says a TV station producer based in Osaka.

“It’s common to ask the requester to go along with certain staging to make things more interesting. Since the show keeps narration to a minimum, the requester is often prompted to make comments that help move the story to the next development or the punchline. The mother’s line, ‘Cook the rice, seven cups,’ is exactly that. The staging went too far, and there wasn’t enough consideration for the fact that the blame might end up being directed at the requester,”
the Osaka-based producer explains.

It seems that directing the requester to fit the show’s production style was a routine occurrence.

Another shocking account came from a person connected to a different TV station, whose acquaintance once appeared on the show as a requester.

“In an episode where the detective searched for and obtained a certain item together with the requester, an acquaintance of mine who works in the entertainment industry appeared as the requester. I happened to run into him later at a TV station and said, ‘You were on Detective! Night Scoop. Did you send in a request?’ He replied, ‘No, I never made any request.’ That made me think the program might be creating the requests themselves, and I remember being stunned.”

It would be difficult to consistently receive three interesting requests a week. There are also occasional episodes where only the request letter is shown and the requester does not appear on air. In such cases, doubts arise about whether the requester really exists at all—raising suspicions of air requests that could shake the very premise of the program.

So this site conducted a direct interview with ABC TV, which broadcasts “Detective! Night Scoop,” regarding these suspicions.

Q: Aside from the broadcast in question, do you ever alter the content of requests through staging?

“Normally, we receive a written request, and after discussions between our program staff and the interviewee, we explain the purpose of the coverage and confirm their consent. Only then do we proceed to editing and broadcasting. We take responsibility for the editing and structure during that process, and we never do anything that goes against the interviewee’s intentions or that would make them feel uncomfortable. The program is broadcast after obtaining their understanding regarding any staging.”

Q: Have there ever been cases where the program created a request even though none was actually submitted?

“That has not happened. This program has continued for many years, and it always starts from a written request. As I mentioned earlier, there may be production-related consultations based on that request, but we never create something from zero. When the requester does not appear on air, there are various reasons—such as the person finding it difficult to appear—so we cannot generalize, but I can say that we never start from nothing.”

Q: Will you investigate past broadcasts for staging or fabrication going forward?

“We have always carefully considered these matters before broadcasting. However, in light of the various opinions we have received this time, we are reflecting on the situation. We take very seriously the fact that the result has been strong criticism and even abusive comments directed at the interviewee.”

“Detective! Night Scoop” is one of Kansai’s most popular programs. Even for a variety show, the excessive staging may have gone beyond what is acceptable.