What appears to be harmless entertainment may in fact contain elements that should never be dismissed as mere comedy. This essay examines the disturbing continuity between televised expression, social cruelty, and real-world violence, drawing on a notorious murder case in Kawasaki.

However, it is precisely the program discussed in the previous section that contains elements which cannot simply be laughed away. 

On April 21, 2016,

Not Something to Be Laughed Away
— The Dark Elements Embedded in Television Entertainment —

 I was reminded of the gruesome murder that occurred in Kawasaki. It was a case in which a youth, likely inheriting the traditions of a country known for the punishment of lingchi, murdered another boy alive after the victim had moved from Shimane Prefecture to Kawasaki. I have a friend who is a company executive well versed in worldly affairs. He once told me that there are many resident Koreans in the entertainment industry. After watching this program, I became convinced of something. There must be quite a number of people at テレビ朝日 who likewise inherit the traditions of that same country. Who can say that such programs do not become the source of insidious bullying? More than that, who can say they do not become the source of murder itself? It is unmistakably clear that Japan is a country where freedom of the press and freedom of program production exist to a degree unmatched anywhere in the world.