Teruyuki Kagawa’s “THE TIME” Ratings’ Slump and Theatrical Apology for Sex-Abuse Scandal Seems a Big Failure!

According to a report in the August 25 issue of Shukan Shincho, Kagawa sexually harassed a female employee at a high-class club in Ginza’s 8-chome district in July 2019. According to the article, the woman was reportedly suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

In May of the following year, she filed a civil lawsuit against the club’s mama for failing to stop Kagawa’s outburst on the spot.

The following May, she filed a civil suit against the club’s mama for failing to stop Kagawa’s outburst. What kind of outrage did Kagawa commit in Ginza at night?

According to the complaint published in the Shukan Shincho, Kagawa

Kagawa then reached into the woman’s clothing and removed her bra. The removed brassieres were handed one after another to the defendant (Kagawa) and three accompanying guests, who all sniffed them and said various obscene things about them.

Kagawa’s conduct was clearly excessive to everyone that witnessed it. What in the world is wrong with him?

According to the testimony of other hostesses, at first Kagawa was a pleasant drinker, conversing well and making the place merry, but gradually he began to act strangely.

Kagawa has become such a popular figure that he is always seen on TV, whether it is on morning news programs, children’s programs on NHK/E-television, or commercials. Kagawa’s departure was the focus of much attention.

According to the comments made by his office in response to the news report, he has admitted to the fact and has already apologized to the woman who was the victim of the crime. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, this probably means that a settlement has been reached. Kagawa himself appeared on “THE TIME.” (TBS), a morning news program in which he serves as MC on a weekly basis, and apologized live at the beginning of the program.

Immediately after Kagawa’s sexual harassment was reported in “Shukan Shincho,” the general view in the industry was, “Kagawa will drop commercials and news programs. The drama series would continue as there were only a few episodes left.”

However, despite the apology, the program will continue, and there is no sign so far that the commercials will be terminated.

According to an employee of a major advertising agency, “There are a total of six companies with which Mr. Kagawa has commercial contracts, but none of them have announced that they will terminate the contracts. I think they are just waiting and seeing. If one of them cancels the contract, we will too, I guess. It would be nice if the situation would calm down, but we live in an age where sexual harassment, no matter how trivial, is not tolerated.

While film directors and other actors are refraining from activities due to “sexual harassment,” many people are not satisfied that Mr. Kagawa is the only one who is not blamed for the incident. Moreover, it seems that the live apology was a failure, and the number of voices condemning it is increasing. Naturally, the sponsors are also receiving complaints, so the situation remains unpredictable. I think it’s safe to assume that the companies are still considering contract termination.

Although it may be natural that he is an actor, TBS, the production side of the program, is also being criticized for showing no signs of remorse for his theatrical apology.

Many people at the station are saying, “It had to be done that way. ” There are many people at the station who say, “We had no choice but to do what we did, so we had no choice but to do it that way.” There is no way they could have dropped Mr. Kagawa, who was invited as the main lead of the program. I think they are prepared for the criticism.

However, I am not sure what will happen if the criticism grows louder and all the commercial sponsors start to move in unison. For now, there is a plan to let him continue to work until the new season in October and then drop the program as a renewal, but I am sure that Azumi will not be satisfied with that. Changing Monday through Thursday, which Azumi is in charge of, to make room for Kagawa-san’s Fridays is not a good idea. The program production side is in a state of confusion as to what to do.

Speaking of TBS weekday morning news and information programs, even with the appointment of big-name hosts such as Mino Monta, they have continued to fall behind NTV and Fuji Television, which are at the top of their respective time slots. It is a well-known story among TV people that it is called “the devil’s time slot.”

TBS had been trying to break through the ratings dilemma with a concerted effort, but the program has continued to fail miserably.

On top of that, there was this sex-abuse report. What can I say? I can only say that they have no luck at all.

We want to avoid a return to the “evil time slot” at all costs. However, there are many who say that the program will not last if the situation continues, and TBS is being forced to make a decision.