Kota Nakayama’s Claims Trigger Apology and Public Questions About NHK’s “Miitsuketa!”

There is a senior comedian who was bullied for a long time

In response to bullying allegations made by comedian Kouta Nakayama (45), winner of “R-1 Grand Prix 2009,” Shigeo Takahashi (50) of the comedy duo Savannah released an apology statement. The impact of the issue appears to be gradually spreading.

The incident began when Nakayama revealed on the May 5 broadcast of ABEMA’s “Naokiman’s Urban Legend Talk Show Season 3” that he had been bullied by a senior comedian for over 10 years. On the program, he said:

“In my feeling, it was about 10 years, but there is a senior comedian who has been bullying me.”

As the studio grew tense, Nakayama continued:

“He’s extremely successful now, and I think most people probably have a good impression of him.”

He then added:

“What I experienced was that just before a live broadcast started, when we were counting down—5 seconds, 4, 3 at that moment, he would say, ‘I wouldn’t do that job even for a million yen.’ And then it would go 1, 0, start—and the broadcast would begin.”

He described the behavior as subtle and malicious.

The topic quickly spread online, and people began trying to identify the senior comedian in question. The situation escalated further on May 10.

“Atsumasa Yagi (51), Takahashi’s comedy partner and someone who is also close with Nakayama, commented on X regarding the issue. He said, ‘Kouta and Shigeo haven’t been able to talk yet, so I will listen to both sides and then write about it,’ and added, ‘Since Kouta was hurt, 100% of the responsibility lies with Shigeo.’ This was posted before Takahashi had been directly identified, which caused a major stir,” said a women’s magazine reporter.

From there, developments moved quickly.

Voice actor for a popular character on NHK E-television

On the following day, Nakayama posted on X:

“Earlier, I had a phone conversation with Mr. Takahashi of Savannah. He sincerely apologized for having caused me unpleasant feelings at the time.”

Around the same time, Takahashi also announced:

“I apologized for the way I spoke and interacted during a program they were working on together in Osaka at the time, which may have caused him discomfort.”

However, the controversy does not seem likely to end here. A television industry insider commented:

“Former Plus-Minus member Yoshimasa Iwashashi previously exposed bullying he had experienced from entertainers and seniors and ended up leaving Yoshimoto. Even though Nakayama is also a victim, there is a possibility this could cause trouble for various parties, and it cannot be ruled out that Yoshimoto may reprimand him. Likewise, Takahashi may see his TV work affected, similar to what happened with TKO’s Takayuki Kinoshita.”

In fact, in the Nikkan Sports article published on May 11, regarding the LION “Stoppa diarrhea medication” commercial in which Takahashi appears as a brand character, the company responded to an inquiry by saying:

“We are currently considering an overall response.”

Attention is also focused on one of Takahashi’s most prominent roles: the NHK E-TV program “Miitsuketa!” He has long provided the voice for the main character, Kosshi.

Because it is a children’s program, there has been criticism online such as:

“NHK is strict about compliance, so will he be removed?”
“If he is an alleged bully, that’s a problem.”

In response, this site contacted NHK to ask about the possibility of Takahashi’s removal and how NHK views the bullying allegations against him. NHK replied:

“At present, there are no changes to the scheduled appearance. We do not comment on individual cases.”

From an anonymous bullying allegation to an official apology statement issued voluntarily by Savannah’s Takahashi, the situation continues to develop. What impact will it ultimately have on his career?