Someone at Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) might have just accidentally derailed former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe‘s bid to be re-elected. Their early morning show Asazuba accidentally put Abe’s photo beside a news report about the arrest of a sex offender.
And while a lot of the viewers found it shocking, hilarious and of course viral-worthy, Mr. Abe is definitely not amused and suspects that it was not just an accident, but rather a deliberate part of “campaign of negativity”. On his Facebook page, he cites the fact that the TV station has not offered him an apology yet as a sign that it was not an accident but part of the slander campaign against him.
The newscaster on the show admitted that the incorrect photo has been displayed but didn’t refer to Mr. Abe by name. Screen caps of the blunder are already spreading like wildfire. And while some might say he is overreacting to this mistake, he and his party strongly believe that TBS is part of a conspiracy group that is hoping to discredit him and show him in a bad light. He claims that TBS displayed the photo during a broadcast about Unit 731, the infamous chemical research and development unit of the Japanese Imperial Army in World War II
Japan’s political landscape is particularly messy right now, what with a looming election next month that might see a seventh Prime Minister in six years. Expect the mudslinging and controversies to increase in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, a graphics editor on TBS might be on the lookout for a new job after this mess.
[ via Rocket News ]