This article examines the famous incident during Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s live appearance on TBS’s NEWS23, when a producer’s instruction — “Both of you, Moritomo–Kake” — was accidentally picked up by a microphone.
The episode revealed how television producers frame political narratives and prioritize scandal over policy discussion.

February 1, 2019.
As Prime Minister Abe continued, saying, “Regarding the use of the consumption tax this time…,” announcers Amemiya and Komada synchronized with perfect timing and interrupted the Prime Minister’s remarks.

The following continues from the previous chapter.
Preface omitted.

The strategic framing journalism that has become a traditional performance of NEWS23 continues even today.
For the producers of NEWS23, “scandals of policy proposers” are a higher priority topic than the policies themselves.
Within the program, the anchors are nothing more than puppets forced to report the topics that have been prepared in advance.

The command: “Both of you, Moritomo–Kake.”

The moment when the NEWS23 anchors revealed themselves to be obedient puppets of the program occurred when Prime Minister Abe, who had decided to dissolve the House of Representatives in 2017, appeared live on the program.

Mr. Hoshi criticized Abe’s exercise of the prime minister’s power of dissolution and asked for his view.
In response, Abe explained that most dissolutions under the current Constitution have been conducted under Article 7 and that dissolutions at the beginning of extraordinary Diet sessions have also occurred several times.
He added, “When making major decisions that greatly affect the lives of the people, I believe the Prime Minister should ask the people for their trust.”

At that moment, the voice of announcer Amemiya — who was not visible on the screen — could be heard whispering something.

Then, as Prime Minister Abe continued, “Regarding the use of the consumption tax this time…,” Amemiya and Komada synchronized perfectly and interrupted his remarks.

Amemiya said, “Prime Minister, I’m sorry. We will ask about that later. What personally concerns me is that opposition lawmaker Yamauchi has left the party, hasn’t she? The opposition may be weakened. I can’t help but think that the dissolution was timed with that in mind.”
Thus she posed a different question to the Prime Minister while he was in the middle of answering the original one.

To ask the Prime Minister a question, interrupt his answer, and then request that he answer a different question because it personally concerns the interviewer is an extremely unreasonable development.

However, Prime Minister Abe showed no dissatisfaction and sincerely answered Amemiya’s new question.

“The opposition cannot take power without elections, so it is natural that they should always be preparing for them.”

At that moment.

Suddenly, from somewhere, a voice was heard saying, “Both of you, Moritomo–Kake.”

This happened because a microphone picked up the sound from an earpiece that had accidentally slipped out of Mr. Hoshi’s ear.
Through that earpiece, instructions were being sent from the program producers to the anchors.

Prime Minister Abe paid it no mind and continued, “We will change how the consumption tax is used…,” but Mr. Hoshi, after putting his earpiece back on, interrupted again, saying, “We will take time later to discuss the consumption tax.”

Then, before the Prime Minister could fully answer, Amemiya — who had been the one asking him questions — said, “Prime Minister, in terms of asking the people for their trust, I would first like you to watch this. Is this a cover-up of Moritomo and Kake?”
She then began playing a video about the Moritomo–Kake issue unilaterally.

From this sequence of actions, it appears that the producers’ intention to degrade Prime Minister Abe through a story they themselves had scripted, while giving instructions to the anchors, was exposed.

Considering the dark history in which anchors had repeatedly been defeated in debate whenever Abe appeared on the program, one can understand their nervousness.
But the production was so naïve that it ended up digging their own grave.

Incidentally, two weeks later Abe appeared again on the program during the party leaders’ debate for the general election.
When Mr. Hoshi tried to pursue the Kake issue using a board, Abe asked him, “By the way, is your earpiece okay?”

Prime Minister Abe’s humor was extremely black indeed.

Among the reports of NEWS23, which focus only on meaningless side stories, the most meaningless was the paparazzi-style coverage of the “beauty cheering squad” sent by the human-rights-abusing dictatorship of North Korea to the PyeongChang Olympics for propaganda purposes.

Its foolishness was as follows.

To be continued.