Serious internal situation at TBS, which is asking the controversial “Bakudanshi” Hikaru Ota to do an election special again.

As political parties are steadily preparing for the House of Councillors election in the summer, TV stations are also in battle mode for their “election specials.

TBS was one of the first to announce the host of the program. Hikaru Ota of the comedy duo “Bakusho Mondai” will be the special anchor for “Election Day 2022: Our Tomorrow,” following the general election for the House of Representatives last October.

Speaking of Mr. Ota, he was the anchor for the first general election special last time and said “I am sorry for your loss” to Mr. Akira Amari of the Liberal Democratic Party, who lost the primary election. He also asked Toshihiro Nikai, also of the LDP, “How long do you plan to continue being a politician? The Internet and other media have been ablaze with the question, “How long do you plan to continue as a politician? (A reporter from a sports newspaper).

Naturally, TBS received many complaints from viewers, but contrary to the public’s reaction, TBS was highly regarded within the station. There seems to be a sad situation at TBS.

In both the House of Representatives election in ’17 and the House of Councillors election in ’19, TBS was by far the lowest in terms of viewer ratings for election special programs. However, in the last lower house election in which Mr. Ota was the anchor, TBS was last in the results, but it had a good competition with Fuji Television, which was in the booby prize.

(A TBS insider) “They were prepared for a firestorm, but they chose Ota again this time because he is a hot topic….

However, the morning information program “THE TIME,” which he has hosted since last year, has failed miserably. He is not a face that can be placed in the center of the program.

In any case, since each station covers the same news in the election specials, the power of the TV stations can really be seen in the numbers. In that sense, it is a fierce battle.

Ota is flanked by Chiaki Horan of “NSTA” and Ryoji Ishii of “Gogosuma. The general hosts will be Takahiro Inoue, who works with Horan on “NSTA,” and Ayaka Ogawa of “NEWS23.

Unlike the House of Representatives election, the House of Councillors election will feature a number of celebrity candidates. Among the newcomers alone are Kiyoshi Nakajo, famous for his “Hitsujo” series, and Akiko Ikuina, formerly of the Onyanko Club. In addition, there is a wide variety of members, including comedian Dr. Suidobashi. In addition, Yoshikazu Azumaya, a.k.a. “Garcy,” who has been attracting attention as an “exposé-style” YouTube star, will also participate in the event. The interaction between Mr. Ota and these two men, who have their own unique tastes, is sure to draw attention in a positive way.

The phrase “notoriety is better than infamy” is exactly what TBS is saying, and it is likely that Ota’s flame war is part of their plan.