The media have been surprised at the reletively light punishment given to Fuji TV staff involved in the recent scandal where an underage member of the popular group News was detained by police for drunken behavior. The group had been special guests in Sendai at a game played by national women’s volleyball team, after which the 18-year old was taken out dining and drinking by Fuji TV staff till the early morning. The company said that announcer Kikuma Yukino (33) and nine others will have their salaries docked. Kikuma will not appear on her regular morning show slot this week, and may be removed from the show altogether. The station received thousands of calls from irate viewers and many thousands more complaints on its website after the incident became known, most complaining that the punishment was too light. The case is so high profile that even the Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission made a public statement condemning both the behavior of the adults involved in the incident and the company’s response. Meanwhile, the 18-year old’s place in the 8-man group has been taken by Taguchi Junnosuke(19), a member of fellow Johnny’s Jimusho group Kat-Tun.
• Talento and former pin-up girl Megumi (23) was briefly admitted to hospital yesterday following a car crash on Sunday. She was being driven between work assignments by her manager when the accident occured. Megumi suffered bruising and is expected to take a brief break from her many drama and variety show commitments.