"We need to come up with a decision because the program will be aired soon," said a Fuji TV official in charge of a quiz program Shimada was hosting.NTV, which airs two programs hosted by Shimada, was also struggling over how to move forward.Shimada and his agency, Yoshimoto Creative Agency Co., called a news conference late Tuesday to say he was retiring from the industry, effective immediately, because the agency found out he had exchanged text messages with the senior crime figure for two years starting in mid-2005, and their relationship appeared to be close.Industry sources said Shimada was introduced to the mob kingpin by former boxing world champion Jiro Watanabe, who is currently appealing an attempted extortion conviction to the Supreme Court.Shimada first became acquainted with Watanabe several decades ago, before the former prizefighter became a yakuza member.During the news conference announcing his retirement, Shimada said he hadn't considered Watanabe a gangster and continued exchanges with him via phone and email.Although that doesn't violate any laws and Shimada didn't have any business relationship with the gangster, he offered to immediately retire to take responsibility, the agency said."I did not feel that I was doing something wrong. To me (the relationship) was 'safe,' but I learned the day before yesterday that it was 'out,' " Shimada said, using baseball terminology.The agency issued a statement saying "this kind of act is not allowed for any reason for a person who appears in mass media such as TV, which has a strong influence on society."Shimada became popular as part of a comic duo with the late Ryusuke Matsumoto. Lately, he has been hosting six popular TV shows.He was suspended temporarily in 2004 and fined ¥300,000 for violence against a female Yoshimoto employee.2011年8月26日金曜日
Yakuza link undoes TV's Shimada
TV broadcasters were scrambling Wednesday to replace six programs hosted by Shinsuke Shimada, who abruptly announced he was leaving the entertainment industry over ties with a high-ranking yakuza."We need to come up with a decision because the program will be aired soon," said a Fuji TV official in charge of a quiz program Shimada was hosting.NTV, which airs two programs hosted by Shimada, was also struggling over how to move forward.Shimada and his agency, Yoshimoto Creative Agency Co., called a news conference late Tuesday to say he was retiring from the industry, effective immediately, because the agency found out he had exchanged text messages with the senior crime figure for two years starting in mid-2005, and their relationship appeared to be close.Industry sources said Shimada was introduced to the mob kingpin by former boxing world champion Jiro Watanabe, who is currently appealing an attempted extortion conviction to the Supreme Court.Shimada first became acquainted with Watanabe several decades ago, before the former prizefighter became a yakuza member.During the news conference announcing his retirement, Shimada said he hadn't considered Watanabe a gangster and continued exchanges with him via phone and email.Although that doesn't violate any laws and Shimada didn't have any business relationship with the gangster, he offered to immediately retire to take responsibility, the agency said."I did not feel that I was doing something wrong. To me (the relationship) was 'safe,' but I learned the day before yesterday that it was 'out,' " Shimada said, using baseball terminology.The agency issued a statement saying "this kind of act is not allowed for any reason for a person who appears in mass media such as TV, which has a strong influence on society."Shimada became popular as part of a comic duo with the late Ryusuke Matsumoto. Lately, he has been hosting six popular TV shows.He was suspended temporarily in 2004 and fined ¥300,000 for violence against a female Yoshimoto employee.
"We need to come up with a decision because the program will be aired soon," said a Fuji TV official in charge of a quiz program Shimada was hosting.NTV, which airs two programs hosted by Shimada, was also struggling over how to move forward.Shimada and his agency, Yoshimoto Creative Agency Co., called a news conference late Tuesday to say he was retiring from the industry, effective immediately, because the agency found out he had exchanged text messages with the senior crime figure for two years starting in mid-2005, and their relationship appeared to be close.Industry sources said Shimada was introduced to the mob kingpin by former boxing world champion Jiro Watanabe, who is currently appealing an attempted extortion conviction to the Supreme Court.Shimada first became acquainted with Watanabe several decades ago, before the former prizefighter became a yakuza member.During the news conference announcing his retirement, Shimada said he hadn't considered Watanabe a gangster and continued exchanges with him via phone and email.Although that doesn't violate any laws and Shimada didn't have any business relationship with the gangster, he offered to immediately retire to take responsibility, the agency said."I did not feel that I was doing something wrong. To me (the relationship) was 'safe,' but I learned the day before yesterday that it was 'out,' " Shimada said, using baseball terminology.The agency issued a statement saying "this kind of act is not allowed for any reason for a person who appears in mass media such as TV, which has a strong influence on society."Shimada became popular as part of a comic duo with the late Ryusuke Matsumoto. Lately, he has been hosting six popular TV shows.He was suspended temporarily in 2004 and fined ¥300,000 for violence against a female Yoshimoto employee.
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