Japanese Entertainment: A Comeback Beginning from Bankrupt President

Sōta Watanabe also received word of the investigation by the Fair Trade Commission.

This kind of thing can't be hidden.

He thought he hadn't left any evidence, but he didn't expect that Kazuya Sawashiro would secretly record the conversation, causing the people at the recording studio to shirk all responsibility and immediately betray their secretary.

The matter has already been exposed, and the recordings and testimonies are irrefutable evidence, so there is no need to hide it anymore.

Sacrificing the pawn to save the king has become the best option at present.

Sōta Watanabe is the one who needs to be protected, while the secretary is naturally the one to be abandoned, because he is the one who has been in contact with the detective, and he is also the contact person exposed elsewhere.

"Is simply taking legal responsibility enough?" Kazuya Sawashiro wasn't satisfied with the answer. In front of the Fair Trade Commission members, he questioned him, "From the start of the single's production until now, we've encountered one problem after another. What about the losses incurred during this time?"

What makes a secretary so incompetent? Hurry up and expose the mastermind behind this.

The secretary did not answer, but simply lowered her head.

There are many things in life that are beyond one's control. The detective's connection with Watanabe Souta was too shallow. He could jump out and betray Watanabe Entertainment, but the secretary couldn't.

If he doesn't shoulder this responsibility firmly, he will face even heavier punishment.

Seeing that he remained silent, everyone at the meeting understood that Watanabe Entertainment had already resolved the issue internally, and now the secretary was simply taking responsibility.

But with dates, you don't need to worry about whether you've already harvested them; just plant a bunch first.

Kazuya Sawashiro continued to question him: "What does your silence mean? Is it because you don't want to compensate for the losses during this period, or do you think this matter is simple and that you can handle it alone?"

Under questioning that seemed designed to elicit a confession, the secretary finally raised her head, looked at the Fair Trade Commission representatives, and said with a smile, "I will bear all responsibility and losses myself, because I did this for my own selfish desires, and I am willing to cooperate with the investigation."

The reason he didn't look at Kazuya Sawashiro was to remind the Fair Trade Commission that, considering the size of Watanabe Entertainment, it would be best for everyone to stop here.

He will take responsibility for the consequences and losses. Radio stations, television stations, and platforms will not limit the reach of Amano Aki's new song. However, the Fair Trade Commission should not implicate others, such as Watanabe Sōta, who is behind him.

While the law does emphasize equality for all, those who interpret these laws are often driven by self-interest. If the incident is escalated without careful consideration, and it's portrayed as Watanabe Entertainment suppressing Aki Amano, it will cause trouble for everyone.

"Everyone should take responsibility for their own actions, but there are laws and regulations governing the punishments. You and I are just following the law, so let's not talk about these things now," a representative from the Fair Trade Commission said.

While it appears to be about fairness, it also implies agreeing to define the nature of the matter.

After saying that, they handed the stage over to representatives from the Metropolitan Police Department and the Public Safety Commission, as there were still matters concerning obstruction of official duties and human rights that had not been dealt with.

Obstructing official business goes without saying. The media also brought up the secretary, confirming that he was the one who leaked the information that had not been made public. So the representative from the Metropolitan Police Department did not hold back and immediately produced an arrest warrant for him.

The representative of the Public Safety Committee didn't say much, but after being led away by his secretary, he also told Kazuya Sawashiro that he would initiate a meeting with Watanabe Entertainment regarding this incident.

Ultimately, hiring a detective to follow someone cannot be defined as illegal.

As long as the detective does the right thing in public and does not violate detective law, it is difficult to issue an injunction against the artist even if the artist is driven to a mental breakdown, unless the artist announces his retirement from the entertainment industry.

It's an industry rule that people who have retired from the entertainment industry are never followed.

Sawashiro had no reason to refuse and could only agree: "Then I'll have to trouble you all. Now I just hope the Fair Trade Commission will issue a penalty notice as soon as possible, giving Amano-san a fair environment to operate in. And as for that Yamada who fled, please, everyone in the Metropolitan Police Department, make sure to catch him!"

"That's for sure," the Metropolitan Police Department representative said solemnly. "No matter where a criminal commits such a heinous crime goes, we will bring him back to face the punishment of the law."

Yamada... well, he had a BBQ.

He was charged with two counts: violating the marijuana control law and making false accusations, for instructing others to poison him.

Then the secretary insisted that he had been bribed by Yamada to carry out "exclusive behavior" towards Aki Amano, and therefore he had also committed the crime of obstructing business by force of the group.

But that's not all.

His escape has now landed him with the charge of fleeing the country.

As long as he catches the other person, even if his defense lawyer is Komekado, at most he and his secretary will die together. After all, his crime of hiring someone to poison him is real, but the subsequent charge of obstructing business is untenable.

The secretary is only trying to smear Yamada because she knows he won't dare to come back.

...

Two more days passed after that.

Multiple departments gathered once again in the Fair Trade Commission's conference room for an unprecedented press conference.

The organizer is the Fair Trade Commission, because the focus at this stage has shifted from whether Aki Amano is involved in drugs to whether Watanabe Entertainment is actively creating exclusionary practices, which is the issue that the public is most concerned about.

Also attending the meeting were representatives from various departments and companies, including the Public Safety Commission, the Narcotics Control Division, the Fifth Division of the Organized Crime Countermeasures Department of the Metropolitan Police Department, Watanabe Entertainment, and the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, as well as the individuals involved, Kazuya Sawashiro and Aki Amano.

The reason so many people came is because this is a rare malicious incident targeting celebrities, one that has occurred in the last decade.

Poisoning, exclusionary behavior, fleeing after committing a crime, human rights violations...

Pick any one of these and it's enough to make most people crave it.

Similarly, this press conference will be broadcast live to the entire society, from various television channels and radio stations to outdoor screens on the streets and alleys, as well as YouTube, a platform popular among young people.

The organizers were worried that most people wouldn't have time to watch, so they specially chose a weekend at noon for the live broadcast.

No matter how much you sleep in if you're not working, it's time to wake up around noon. Even if you don't wake up, someone else will wake you up so you don't miss such a big event.

Following the usual introduction, representatives of the Fairness Commission read out their investigation findings:

"This time... therefore, we have determined that Watanabe Entertainment has violated the Anti-Monopoly Law by creating 'exclusivity' for artist Aki Amano. Specific penalties and accountability announcements for the companies and individuals involved will be released after this press conference..."

Let's start with the main event, then the smaller fry.

After the Fair Trade Commission finished speaking, the representative from Watanabe Entertainment stood up and bowed to the camera in front of him to apologize.

The reporters were also very familiar with this process.

Stand up, zoom in and lock the camera, bow, and take several shots in quick succession. When standing up, bring the camera back and focus on the other person.

Amano Aki didn't say anything, nor did she need to say anything. Sawashiro Kazuya's task for her was not to laugh. Keeping a straight face was the best answer she could give to reporters and the public. She could leave the rest to the media to interpret.

Having been named by the Fair Trade Commission, Watanabe Entertainment will certainly not defy the rules in the near future, so Aki Amano must adopt the posture of a victim.

Only in this way will ordinary people dislike Watanabe Entertainment even more.