When news breaks in Japan, text is directly inserted into broadcast shows so viewers can stay up to date on what’s happening. During last Thursday’s episode of Pokémon Sun Moon, news broke., and the way it coincided with the onscreen antics was perfect.
That evening, there were reports that politician Tomomi Inada was going to step down as the country’s defense minister in the wake of a military cover-up. She ultimately did resign.
Above and below are stills from Sun Moon. In English, they read, “Defense Minister Inada made clear her intent to resign.” (稲田防衛大臣が辞任の意向を固める or “Inada boueidaijin ga jinin no ikou wo katameru.”)
This announcement wasn’t for children, but since the show is in prime time at night, it’s for their parents or adults who are watching. It doesn’t matter what the show is—when major news breaks, whether that’s political, an earthquake, or entertainment-related, text appears on screen.
As seen in these images from Ajajashita, Ash and friends looked like they were going to barf when the news hit the screen.
The (accidental?) timing was even better when you see how the news broke during the show. The first text that blinked on the screen read, “TV Osaka news flash.” (テレビ大阪ニュース速報 or “Terebi Osaka nyuusu sokuhou.”) That was followed by the defense minister news.
See? Perfect timing.
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