Yuriko Ishida denies “NG” reports with Ryoko Yonekura on her SNS “NG” articles are a regular feature in weekly entertainment news magazines. Many times, a project titled “List of NGs in the entertainment industry” is compiled.   Readers are also very interested in this topic, and “NG” articles have become one of the standard contents of the weekly magazines. Just the other day, “Josei Seven” reported that Yuriko Ishida and Ryoko Yonekura have not co-starred for more than 15 years and that they are “NG” together. The reason for this is that the two have “covered” for each other’s love interests. In other words, they had been in a relationship with the same man in the past. It is not that they were dating at the same time, but they were reported to have dated actor Kenichi Okamoto. However, it does not seem that the girls have agreed not to perform together, and as “Josei Seven” wrote, it seems that the TV stations are just being cautious and not allowing them to perform together. Also, last year, both Erika Toda and Asami Mizukawa responded to reports of their disagreement on SNS. Juri Ueno, responding to their SNS, also joined in and blamed the media. The history of “NG” articles about actors co-starring with each other in the entertainment industry is long, and the reasons for it vary.   There are many reasons for this, but it is simply a case of not getting along with each other. In this case, if the manager or his/her office informs the TV station of the situation, the station will take it into consideration and avoid creating opportunities for them to be together. In the past, this has been the case with big-name enka singers and major artists. Actors who are rumored to be “quick on the uptake” due to frequent reports of their love affairs in the weekly magazines are sometimes shunned by agencies that have young actresses. “There are actually cases where an agency refuses an actor when they find out that he is going to appear with them even if they offer him a part in a movie, and they say, “We can’t take his schedule,” without telling the agency the real reason. Recently, there are several offices that have given NG to popular young actors who have been reported to be in two-timing relationships,” said a manager of a mid-sized entertainment office. Couples who have been in relationships in the past and divorced couples are also subject to NG. However, in some cases, there may not be as much of a feud between the couple as the TV stations think, or the gap created by the breakup may be filled over time and they may be allowed to work together again. Hiromi Go and Seiko Matsuda and Koji Ishizaka and Ruriko Asaoka are two clear examples. Religious beliefs can also come into play. “In a variety show, a staff member who was unaware of the situation once booked a veteran actress with strong ties to a religious group and a popular actress who had distanced herself from that religion. Sure enough, right after they entered the studio for rehearsal, the veteran actress said to the popular actress, “You traitor.” It wasn’t very loud, so few staff members noticed, but they froze in their tracks.” Another major incident occurred in which a major female celebrity and all the celebrities from a certain entertainment agency may have been banned from co-starring. A major female celebrity and a young actress co-starred in a variety show, and the major celebrity, outraged by the young actress’s inconsiderate behavior, began publicly criticizing her on his blog and in other media. And that was not all. A major female celebrity had a disagreement with another celebrity from the same agency on another talk variety show, and not only did she abuse the other celebrity, she also poked her off-camera. “The production side was amused, but if two of their own talents were treated unreasonably, the agency could not remain silent. It was thought that the entire agency would have gone out of their way to prevent them from performing together, but the young actress surprisingly responded in a mature manner and apologized to the big shots. Since a settlement was reached at a later date, there was no complaint from the agency side.” Most “NG” cases are one-to-one, but there are cases where multiple NGs are issued, as in the case of the male actor mentioned above, or conversely, where multiple celebrities are given NGs for co-starring. Some of them are big names for whom TV stations have made a “co-starring NG list”. “One of them is a big-name talent in the Kansai region. They don’t clearly give NGs, but they are so abusive that anyone who hears them understands that they are no good. However, this makes it easier for the TV stations to deal with him. If we make a list and pass it on, we can prevent ‘accidents,’ so we are grateful in some ways,” said a producer at a local TV station. The reason why the “NG” news attracts the interest of viewers and readers is that it reveals the dark side of the glamorous world of show business. However, “Co-starring NG” reports are no longer the same as in the past. In the past, the media rarely mentioned this kind of issue, but with the spread of SNS, it has become easy for the celebrities themselves to communicate their opinions, and they are now able to refute the reports if they are not true. This time, too, Ishida was using her own instagram. “It is very troubling to be called a “co-starring NG” without permission. It really bothers me. I wonder what the person who writes such baseless internet news is thinking.” she wrote. A key station staff member said in response to this objection, “The entertainment world is a small place, so it is very difficult for people to make a good impression. The entertainment industry is a small one, so if you look into the history of relationships, there are bound to be people who are involved in the same relationships. Even if the viewers want to co-star, or the production staff wants to co-star, there are many cases where the upper management of the station or the office is too concerned about the co-star and has decided not to co-star. In the first place, it is impossible to ask the person in question directly. If he/she denies it, we would be very grateful. If we know that it is not NG, we can make bookings, expand the scope of our projects, and produce the kind of work that viewers want.” If the TV stations can solve their problems by having the celebrities who have been reported as “NG” to reveal their relationships, then the “NG” reports may be useful in a sense.