February 26, 2021
Akahata ‘current’ column
It was almost half a century ago that actors staged a demonstration for the first time in Tokyo to demand the improvement of voice actors’ working conditions, including raising performance fees and providing secondary usage fees.
At that time, actors got furiously angry at a remark calling them “incompetent” and “sort of disposable commodities”. It was Uemura Banjiro who made this remark. He was the head of Japan’s leading audio production and dubbing company Tohokushinsha Film Corporation (TFC).
Uemura is the founder of Tohokushinsha which now has great influence in the broadcasting industry. He is from Akita Prefecture, the same prefecture as Prime Minister Suga. In addition, it has recently revealed that Uemura and his son had been providing monetary donations to Suga.
The company, which is closely connected with PM Suga, repeatedly lavishly entertained high-ranking officials of the Communications Ministry which has jurisdiction over the broadcast industry. The Suga administration appears to have drawn a curtain on this matter after taking disciplinary measures against concerned officials, such as imposing wage-cuts. However, key questions have been left unanswered.
For instance, questions that the broadcasting administration may be distorted and that ministry officials in question supposedly tried to please PM Suga who used be their boss and whose son works at TFC remain. In addition to these unanswered questions, the government intends to dodge the truth behind TFC’s conduct and PM Suga’s responsibility for the scandal. This makes it impossible for the government to eliminate the root cause of allowing such conflicts of interest to persist.
If PM Suga accepts the continuation of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s abuse of power to further its own interests and to force government bureaucrats to be subservient to the LDP, he will be put into a corner like his predecessor.
Past related articles:
> JCP Tamura demands summoning of PM Suga's son and 4 high-ranking bureaucrats to testify before Diet [February 20, 2021]
> PM Suga received Y4 mil donation from founder of media firm where his son works [February 8, 2021]
> Shii: PM Suga should be accountable for his son’s wining/dining scandal [February 5, 2021]
It was almost half a century ago that actors staged a demonstration for the first time in Tokyo to demand the improvement of voice actors’ working conditions, including raising performance fees and providing secondary usage fees.
At that time, actors got furiously angry at a remark calling them “incompetent” and “sort of disposable commodities”. It was Uemura Banjiro who made this remark. He was the head of Japan’s leading audio production and dubbing company Tohokushinsha Film Corporation (TFC).
Uemura is the founder of Tohokushinsha which now has great influence in the broadcasting industry. He is from Akita Prefecture, the same prefecture as Prime Minister Suga. In addition, it has recently revealed that Uemura and his son had been providing monetary donations to Suga.
The company, which is closely connected with PM Suga, repeatedly lavishly entertained high-ranking officials of the Communications Ministry which has jurisdiction over the broadcast industry. The Suga administration appears to have drawn a curtain on this matter after taking disciplinary measures against concerned officials, such as imposing wage-cuts. However, key questions have been left unanswered.
For instance, questions that the broadcasting administration may be distorted and that ministry officials in question supposedly tried to please PM Suga who used be their boss and whose son works at TFC remain. In addition to these unanswered questions, the government intends to dodge the truth behind TFC’s conduct and PM Suga’s responsibility for the scandal. This makes it impossible for the government to eliminate the root cause of allowing such conflicts of interest to persist.
If PM Suga accepts the continuation of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s abuse of power to further its own interests and to force government bureaucrats to be subservient to the LDP, he will be put into a corner like his predecessor.
Past related articles:
> JCP Tamura demands summoning of PM Suga's son and 4 high-ranking bureaucrats to testify before Diet [February 20, 2021]
> PM Suga received Y4 mil donation from founder of media firm where his son works [February 8, 2021]
> Shii: PM Suga should be accountable for his son’s wining/dining scandal [February 5, 2021]
