The Real Reasons for Junichi Ishida’s Work to Drastically Decline

On May 3, actor Junichi Ishida appeared on the YouTube channel “Machiroku Ch – Your Life, Tell Me About It.

 

The channel features interviews by the director with celebrities and others, who look back on their lives and talk about what’s going on. Ishida’s segment lasted about an hour.

“Speaking of Mr. Ishida, he is rarely seen in dramas or variety shows these days, and his only regular radio program, “Kazumi Saito News Wide SAKIDORI! (Bunka Hoso), his only regular radio show, ended in March. In addition to having no regular programs, he has not updated his YouTube channel for about eight months now, leaving him in a state of ‘closed store’.” (Women’s magazine reporter)

Ishida, who had not appeared on the stage in a while, even if it was only on YouTube, explained the reason for this drastic decrease in work toward the end of the program.

According to Ishida, the reason for the sharp decline in his work was his participation in a certain demonstration.

He said he joined the demonstration because he was angered by the fact that the Abe administration had reinterpreted the Constitution and changed the Security Law to allow the exercise of the right of collective self-defense.

 

He himself was aware that participating in the demonstration would reduce his work, and he told his wife, Riko Higashio:

“I might cut my income in half, but I’m going to go.”

Ishida, however, was not willing to pay half of his income, but he was willing to pay 10,000 yen per day for the demonstration. Ishida, however, laughed, saying that his income was not halved but cut by a tenth. He said that even if he lost his job, he still felt strongly about opposing the war, and the video played inspiring music.

Ishida asked a conservative commentator, “What would you do if China invaded?” 

“Just raise your hands and raise the white flag.” He said.

Ishida’s own argument was that he could not send his children to war. 

However, a source at the TV station said, “Mr. Ishida’s work has been cut back drastically.”

“The main reason for the sharp decline in Mr. Ishida’s work is not his political comments, but the fact that he was drinking without a mask when the Corona disaster struck. He was photographed by a weekly magazine drunkenly participating in drinking parties on numerous occasions in Okinawa, Fukuoka, and Tokyo.”

“Furthermore, he was also alleged to have ‘taken home’ a woman. In fact, he himself was hospitalized after contracting corona as a result of the dinner. It is my understanding that these events led to the loss of regular programming. I am sure that his actions during the corona disaster had a greater impact on him than his participation in the demonstration.”(a source at the TV station)

Ishida declared that he may continue to make political statements and take action for his own righteous cause in the future, regardless of whether he is dried up from the entertainment industry. Although he says he will not run for office himself, it will be interesting to see what kind of moves he will make in the run-up to the Upper House election in the summer.