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Aichi cops: Nagoya radio personality assaults co-host live on air

A screenshot of suspect Yukio Miyachi’s profile on his web site
A screenshot of suspect Yukio Miyachi’s profile on his web site

AICHI (TR) – Television personality Yukio Miyachi was arrested on Thursday in Nagoya for allegedly beating a co-host and kicking her repeatedly live on the air.

Aichi Prefectural Police arrested Yukio Miyachi, 67, for allegedly using a microphone to beat 50-year-old Mie Jinno’s hip and kicking her shin repeatedly on the air during Tokai Radio Broadcasting’s long-running “Ask Yukio Miyachi Anything” program on Monday, inflicting injuries that will require 10 days of recovery, the Mainichi Shimbun and the Yomiuri Shimbun report (June 30).

Miyachi has admitted to the charges.

Jinno told police on Tuesday she was assaulted during the program, which as of Thursday was canceled.

“I’ve had to bear all kinds of awful attitudes until now, but this was the first time I was assaulted,” Jinno said.

The victim was said to have worked as Miyachi’s assistant for years. They were known as a pair with “good rapport,” the Mainichi said.

Tokai Radio released a statement apologizing for the incident.

“We find it extremely regrettable that a TV personality on one of our shows was arrested after causing this incident,” the Asahi Shimbun quoted Tokai Radio as saying.

“We’re currently investigating the circumstances of the incident. As for the program, the decision was made to terminate it. We offer a sincere, deep apology to our listeners and others involved for the trouble.”

Regarding the sudden cancellation of the program that started in 1997, concerned listeners were reportedly told the pair were on a break due to illness.

Underlying tensions

Despite the show’s regional fan base, news about the incident shot to the top of Yahoo’s article rankings. Tabloids and blogs were rife with speculation over the cause of Miyachi’s outburst.

J-Cast News cited rumors that Miyachi snapped after Jinno joked about whispers of his daughter working in Daimon, a red-light district in Nagoya. But numerous netizens who were tuning into the show said such a conversation never took place.

Beniko Mizuno, a friend of Jinno’s and a radio DJ, took to Twitter to speak out about underlying tensions between Miyachi and Jinno.

“All I feel is regret over the incident, especially after seeing her photos right after she was assaulted,” Mizuno tweeted. “News reports are saying things like, oh, he must’ve been really frustrated about something, or that it’s a man-woman thing, but that’s not it at all.

“Jinno had been worried for years that something like this would eventually happen, since he would snap all of a sudden.”

Numerous fans of the show said Miyachi had become passive-aggressive and rude toward Jinno in recent years. Some reported hearing the sounds of Miyachi striking Jinno during the broadcast.

Miyachi’s official website lists his hometown as Nagoya. He started his TV personality career after graduating college.

Numerous local media reports said Miyachi was mostly known in the Tokai region with a focus on the Nagoya area, particularly for his appearance in a TV ad for Sugakiya Ramen instant noodles.