TBS television has apologized again for airing seeimngly inappropriate content in a January program.
In the "Suiyobi no Downtown" ("Downtown of Wednesday") weekly talk show featuring the popular comedy duo Downtown, the nationwide network apologized for "causing misunderstanding among the audience" in the episode that aired on Jan. 28.
A celebrity who appeared during the episode repeatedly commented: "There's something wrong with people who buy them," referring to lucky bags sold at a Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, outlet of used book retailer Bookoff Corp.
The comments may have misled the audience into believing the bags contained articles of no value, the company said in its apology. It didn't mention specifically who made the remark.
The text of the apology was shown on screen at the end of Wednesday's show, closing with a line saying "We are sorry to have caused trouble" to the company and people who bought the bags.
The embarrassing apology followed a separate message that was run in the show on Feb. 4, in which the firm apologized for "broadcasting content that contradicted reality."
In that instance, the text of the apology on the program's website said a claim was made on the Jan. 28 show that none of the lucky bags at a Tokutokuya all-¥100 shop operated by ECI Co. in Tokyo's Mitaka were sold because "not everything that's cheap sells."
In fact, 10 of the lucky bags were sold, the company said in its apology, adding that the program also used the wrong kanji for the shop's name.