Yoshitaka Suzuki, a 44-year-old former planning department manager at Fuji Television, admitted to charges of habitual gambling at his first hearing at the Tokyo District Court on the 16th, related to his repeated use of online casinos.

Prosecution Seeks One-Year Sentence

The prosecution revealed that Suzuki's total bets amounted to approximately 600 million yen (~$6 million USD) and requested a one-year prison sentence. The defense pleaded for a suspended sentence, and the ruling is scheduled for the 25th.

A High-Profile Case

According to the indictment, Suzuki repeatedly played baccarat on online casino sites between September 2024 and May 2025. At the time, he was the chief director for the weekday afternoon variety show "Pokapoka." His arrest in June on suspicion of habitual gambling led to his dismissal from the network.

A Cautionary Tale

The police reported that during the investigation, Suzuki stated he was introduced to the sites by a workplace senior about five years ago and started "without thinking." He admitted to a mindset of believing he could continue without getting caught. In a related case, a former 27-year-old male announcer at Fuji TV received a summary indictment for simple gambling via online casinos and was fined 100,000 yen in July, reportedly having learned about baccarat from Suzuki.