Nippon Television head quits over erroneous news program+

TOKYO, March 16 Kyodo - Nippon Television Network Corp., one of Japan's main commercial broadcasting
companies, said Monday that President Shintaro Kubo will resign from his post
effective the same day to take responsibility for significantly damaging the
company's credibility by airing a news program based on false information.

Kubo, 64, told a news conference, ''It was erroneous, and I want to take the
blame for failing to supervise'' the TV program. But he denied the broadcaster
had made up a story about an alleged slush fund at the Gifu prefectural
government or paid cash to a man who provided Nippon Television with false
information, saying it merely believed what he had claimed.
Kubo, who offered to step down, will become an adviser without the right to
represent the company, the broadcaster said, adding that Chairman Noritada
Hosokawa will double as president. Hosokawa, 68, has served as chairman since
June 2007.
Nippon Television also said it has punished several other senior officials by
placing them on suspension for several days as a result of the airing of the
news program called ''Bankisha'' last Nov. 23.
A 58-year-old former construction company executive was arrested earlier this
month on suspicion of obstructing the Gifu prefectural government's operations
through falsely claiming on the Nippon Television program that he had
''cooperated'' with the local government so it could accumulate slush funds.
''I would like to offer my sincere apologies to the Gifu prefectural government
as well as to our viewers,'' Kubo said. Explaining why Nippon Television aired
the false statements, he said the broadcaster had simply believed that they
were true.
But the outgoing president acknowledged that the TV station was slack in its
efforts to verify the claim and with its overall coverage of the matter.
He said the broadcaster will reveal the results of its in-house probe into the
case on the air, adding that whether or not it will end the program is ''a
matter to be considered.''
Following the broadcast, the prefectural government conducted an internal probe
into the case and concluded that the allegation was groundless. At the request
of the local government, Nippon Television contacted the man again and he
admitted to giving false information to the broadcaster.
Kubo held a press conference twice on Monday over his resignation after members
of the press protested at Nippon Television for rejecting cameramen and
limiting the number of journalists to one per news organization at his first
press conference.
==Kyodo