News anchor loses job after complaining about smelly men

The freelance newscaster Yuri Kawaguchi has lost her contract with her management agency.

The agency, Voice, announced on August 11 that Kawaguchi had been let go due to a post she made on social media complaining about male body odor.

The 29-year-old posted a now-notorious tweet on August 8.

“I’m sorry if you can’t help it for some reason, but I just can’t stand the smell of men in the summer and that very particular body odor of those with an unhealthy lifestyle. I always want to stay clean so I take several showers a day, wipe off sweat, and use antiperspirant all year round. I want more men to be like that.”

Japan is a male-dominated society, it is fair to say, and “feminist” has become a slur. Such an off-the-cuff comment swiftly drew harsh condemnation as misandry.

The Japanese summer is hot and humid, which is made worse by the heat island effect in big cities and the need to commute on crowded trains. Trying to get to work during the Tokyo summer or doing sightseeing in Kyoto during the dog days is a nightmare, and all the sweat and BO of other people around you do nothing to alleviate your discomfort.

Strangely, a belief persists that only non-Japanese people smell.

Kawaguchi, who until now had a low social media profile and was not well known among the public, has subsequently issued an apology for her clumsy remarks and the offense she caused men.

Being a “free announcer” in Japan means you don’t work for just one channel or show, but appear as a presenter on several. Kawaguchi has effectively lost her job, since her salary is paid by or through her agency. No agency means no more gigs, since even “free” anchors are not genuinely freelance.

In the Japanese entertainment industry, the agencies essentially employ the talent, not the other way around like in other parts of the world. The salary would be based on what the talent can bring in to the agency through gigs.

As we type this, stewing in our own sweaty odor from the morning Tokyo heat, we think the vitriolic response to Kawaguchi’s post is way out of proportion, and we certainly don’t think she should have basically lost her whole career for saying what most people think, men and women. After all, who doesn’t want other people to wash and smell good?

Sadly, Japan is a risk-averse society and social media has made the cycle of such scandals so much more intense. At the whiff of a Twitter/X shitstorm or flaming, employers and sponsors are going to drop you now.