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The story
During the broadcast of Nippon TV’s “News to” on the 15th, brain scientist Nobuko Nakano sparked controversy by using the phrase “sexual entertainment” while discussing how politicians build their personal networks. On the 19th, Nakano apologized on her Instagram, saying her words had been “taken in a way different from what I intended,” and explained that she had meant to point out “the structural problem of female politicians finding it hard to attend nighttime gatherings.” The incident is also remembered for MC announcer Chiaki Kuroki immediately pushing back on air with, “I don’t think that’s the case.” On 5ch, many posters questioned the form of her apology, saying it reads as pinning the blame on listeners’ interpretation rather than owning her words, while some showed understanding for the underlying point she was trying to make.
Brain scientist Nobuko Nakano apologizes for her “sexual entertainment” remark on the 15th broadcast of “News to,” explaining her true intent: “it was taken in a way different from what I meant,” pointing to “the structural problem of female politicians finding it hard to attend nighttime gatherings”
Brain scientist Nobuko Nakano updated her Instagram on the 19th, apologizing for a remark made during the 15th broadcast of Nippon TV’s “News to” (weekdays, 1:55 PM) and explaining what she actually meant.
Nakano, who serves as the Thursday commentator on the program, stirred controversy by bringing up “sexual entertainment” while discussing how politicians build their networks.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
It's the fault of whoever misunderstood it weirdly!
That's not what you'd call a real apology.
Chiaki's a pro.
Pathetic!
Don't you mean that's exactly what you wanted to say?
"the other side just misunderstood on their own," lol
Yep, that's about the size of it.
and that got flatly shot down on air.
Are you dumb?
The point is that politicians trade information at these "sexual entertainment" gatherings, so female politicians have a harder time getting access to it.
She's a host you can rely on in live TV.
Would it be in there if she'd just phrased it more politely?
The announcer's follow-up — or more like interruption — did land at a kind of odd moment, though…
People think that once someone's been "cleared" as fair game, you can say anything to them.
The bell rings, the bell rings
Waving goodbye, you say farewell
On the last train with its red lamp
(quoting lyrics from an old enka ballad)
Dinners, drinking parties, hostess bars — politicians can't even go to that kind of open venue in the first place.
and now, lol, she's on a brand-new tabloid show.
And there it is, there it is —
"an expression that invited misunderstanding"
Nah, nobody misunderstood anything.
Either her vocabulary's thin or she's just bad at explaining things. The smarter someone actually is, the better they should be at making themselves understood in plain language.
Like the hosts on "Children's Phone Consultation Room" — they're great at explaining things, lol (a long-running Japanese radio show where experts answer kids' questions simply).
That phone consultation show is pre-recorded, so it's edited.
Even my amateur "brain science" gets it right once in a while, right?
The guy who got seriously chewed out by the former president of Microsoft Japan was also a "brain scientist," wasn't he.
Background and Key Points of This Story
The “I used an expression that invited misunderstanding” style of apology is a phrase politicians and celebrities reach for again and again, and it tends to locate the problem not in what was actually said but in how listeners interpreted it — exactly the pattern that draws backlash on forums like this, with posters saying she’s “blaming the audience.” Nakano’s actual point appears to have been a structural one: female politicians, who have a harder time attending nighttime gatherings and sexual-entertainment-type settings, end up at a disadvantage when it comes to trading information. But the term “sexual entertainment” itself carried such a strong punch that the word took on a life of its own before her explanation could catch up. The fact that the MC shot the remark down instantly, live on air, is also being read as a sign the show’s staff sensed the risk in real time. Beyond the rights and wrongs of the remark itself, the thread also spun off into discussion of Nakano’s past media appearances.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “[TV] Nobuko Nakano apologizes for her “sexual entertainment” remark on the 15th broadcast of Nippon TV’s “News to” — “it was taken in a way different from what I intended”.”
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