Japanese celebrities paid to appear on “charity” telethon

24 Hour TV

As this post is being written, NTV’s “24 Hour Television” charity telethon is about halfway finished. Throughout the program, appeals are made for viewers to donate money and　participate in volunteer activities.

Many of Japan’s most popular celebrities appear on the program, but, as a Nikkan Sunday article reveals, they are not volunteering their time. About 200 to 300 million yen is put aside to pay performers who appear on the charity telethon. The article notes that foreign residents of Japan are shocked to find out that Japanese celebrities won’t volunteer their own time for charity work. They call it a “fake charity” TV program, and many Japanese internet users have left comments agreeing with this view.

[hat tip to Adamu]

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http://www.feitclub.com feitclub

Doesn’t surprise me in the least. After all, in Japan celebrities go on television and compete for cash and prizes rather than giving it to charity.
HamachiMan

Wait, where exactly do these “shocked” foreign residents come from? Have people out there been hiding under a rock? Celebrities the world over have been paid for their “charity” appearances since the beginning of time. Does anyone actually think all celebrities have altruism in mind when “donating” their time to charitable causes?

An L.A. Times article from 2003 illustrates this dirty “secret”:

http://articles.latimes.com/2003/dec/10/local/me-lopez10

The article has example after example of famous celebrities being paid for their charity work: Ray Charles, $75,000 for four songs for disabled children, Bill Cosby, $75,000 for a charity cancer event, former Friends star David Schwimmer, two twenty six grand rolexes for a cancer benefit in 1997. And so on. The only thing I find shocking is that people think this is something ‘unique’ to Japan.

LB

My thoughts exactly. Sometimes it seems like a lot of foreign residents in Japan have “life experience” credentials that read: lived sheltered life with mommy, lived sheltered life in dorm in college, with breaks sheltered at home with mommy, graduated, moved to Japan and encountered the real world for the first time and OH MY GOD THIS IS SO MESSED UP!!!!!

Sheesh.

somegirl

you hit the nail right on the head,. . .many really have

RMilner

Perhaps they come from the UK, where it is standard for slebs to give up their time for free in charitable enterprises ranging from Live Aid to the BBC’s Red Nose Day to local church fetes.

troy

Looks like “charity” is no more “charity” as “tarento” is “talent”…
Sandy

It’s the same for the biggest charity events in the UK – Comic Relief and Children in Need. My sister has worked on them. The celebrities all get paid, and get a rather extravagant goodie bag. And I’m not talking a plastic parachuter and a mini mars bar. It’s not really exclusive to Japan.
http://www.twitter.com/christaran Karisu

Those saying this is not just Japan, it sounds like your for some reason sticking up for these celebrities. Just because it happens elsewhere, doesn’t mean it should happen anywhere.
St John

No, Karisu, we aren’t sticking up for celebrities anywhere. Just saying it’s naive to think it only happens in Japan. Celebrities in the UK and elsewhere are not only ‘compensated’ for their appearance on charity shows but (as their agents would tell them) it’s also a huge PR boost.

Japanese celebrities paid to appear on “charity” telethon

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