Japanese Broadcaster Rocked by Idol Scandal Faces New Turmoil as Executive Arrested for Multi-Billion Won Gambling

Habitual Gambling at Online Casino
"Everything Is True," Admits During Police Investigation

A senior executive at Japanese broadcaster Fuji TV has been arrested by police on suspicion of participating in online gambling involving billions of won.

Fuji TV headquarters in Japan. Screenshot from Tokyo Odaiba website.

According to TBS News Japan on June 23, the National Police Agency of Japan arrested Yoshitaka Suzuki (44), the planning manager of the Variety Production Department at Fuji TV, on charges of habitual gambling at an online casino. Suzuki has served as the chief director of Fuji TV's variety show "Pokapoka."

Suzuki is accused of accessing an overseas online casino site using his smartphone and other devices and engaging in baccarat and other forms of gambling from September last year to May this year.

According to police, Suzuki is believed to have spent more than 100 million yen (approximately 940.4 million won) on gambling so far.

It is reported that, during Fuji TV's internal investigation, Suzuki concealed the fact that he had used online casinos and provided false explanations. Even after receiving disciplinary action, he reportedly continued gambling activities.

During the police investigation, Suzuki admitted to the charges, stating, "Everything is true." He also said, "I have seen a lot of news about online casinos recently, but since many people around me were using them, I thought it would be fine and continued. I have enjoyed gambling so much that I used to visit casinos in Korea, and about five years ago, after hearing that I could also gamble at online casinos, I started without much thought."

Regarding Suzuki's gambling charges, Fuji TV issued an official statement, saying, "We take the arrest of our employee very seriously," and added, "We will fully cooperate with the police investigation and do our utmost to prevent this from happening again." The company also stated, "We deeply apologize for the inconvenience and concern caused to our viewers and stakeholders."

Meanwhile, earlier this year, Fuji TV faced difficulties after being accused of attempting to cover up a sex-for-favors scandal involving Masahiro Nakai (52), a former member of the Japanese national group SMAP. As a result, major Japanese companies such as Toyota Motor and Nissan Motor reportedly withdrew their sponsorships, leading to a sharp decline in broadcast revenue. According to the Japanese media outlet Flash, in May, the consolidated financial results of Fuji TV and its parent company Fuji Media Holdings showed a net loss of 20.1 billion yen (approximately 188.5 billion won) for the group, marking its first-ever move into the red.