Tokio ex-member Taichi Kokubun apologises in first press conference since hiatus

TOKYO - Japanese actor-host Taichi Kokubun, a former member of J-pop boy band Tokio, apologised on Nov 26 for conduct deemed a compliance breach that led to his removal from a television programme.

This was the 51-year-old’s first press conference since announcing a hiatus in June. He was then removed from The Tetsuwan Dash, a variety programme aired by Nippon Television Network and fronted by the members of Tokio, which disbanded after his hiatus in June.

Neither Kokubun nor the TV network has elaborated on what the breaches entailed, citing a need to protect individual privacy.

“Please allow me to sincerely apologise to those I hurt with my actions,” said Kokubun on Nov 26.

He said he has been seeking to hold talks with Nippon Television Network over ways to apologise to those concerned and explain himself, “but to this day, nothing has been resolved”.

Lawyer Masaru Komoda, who was present with Kokubun at the press conference, said the network has urged them not to disclose details.

Recalling the time he was first notified of his removal from The Tetsuwan Dash, Kokubun said: “I felt very shaken and was not at all calm. My mind went blank.”

He added that he could “not imagine” re-joining the entertainment industry.

Nippon Television Network said after Kokubun’s press conference that it places priority on protecting privacy.

The network added that it was difficult to meet his request to review the details of the case to determine whether the compliance breach it identified matched what he believed he did.

Kokubun debuted with the then five-member Tokio in 1994 and has had an extensive career in television and radio. After the Fukushima nuclear crisis in 2011, he helped promote local farming produce by appearing in commercials.

In October, he filed a complaint with the Japan Federation of Bar Associations seeking protection of his human rights, calling the network’s move to remove him over past misconduct problematic.

Kokubun alleged that he was not informed of the specific facts that led to the disciplinary action. He said it prevented him from providing explanations to the public and resulted in his dismissal from other programmes and in sponsors terminating contracts.

Japan’s entertainment industry has been rocked by scandals in recent years.

A sexual misconduct scandal at Fuji Television Network in December 2024 led popular former TV host Masahiro Nakai, 53, of the now-defunct J-pop boy band Smap to retire from show business in January.

The management agency that both Kokubun and Nakai once belonged to, formerly called Johnny & Associates, came under scrutiny in 2023 over hundreds of sexual abuse allegations against its late founder Johnny Kitagawa. KYODO NEWS