What television can do. What only television can do.

Titled "Discussing Television in the Interstices of TV History," this special feature presented a five-part serialized dialogue between Mr. Kuroki of Fuji Television and Mr. Kitakaze of Dentsu Inc. The theme covered in the sequel, #06, is the "Sun House Conference 2019," held on November 15 and 16, 2019, through a collaboration between Oita Broadcasting, Dentsu Inc., and the "Sun House" located in Beppu City, Oita Prefecture. This new initiative, a partnership between a broadcasting company and an advertising agency, addresses the social issue of "disabled employment." By revisiting the "roundtable discussion" (*) covering the background leading to this initiative and its future prospects, we aim to delve deeper into the future vision of television as a medium.

(From left) Hiroshi Kawasaki, Dentsu Inc.; Tsuneyoshi Shimizu, Dentsu Solari Inc.; Hiroya Miyaji, Oita Broadcasting; Atsushi Nogami

*The following roundtable discussion is excerpted and re-edited from an article by Synapse.
Full roundtable text available here.

 

──Today, we have gathered Mr. Miyaji and Mr. Nogami from Oita Broadcasting, Mr. Shimizu from Dentsu Solari Inc., and Mr. Kawasaki from Dentsu Inc. as the organizers of the 'Sun House Conference 2019.' First, we'd like to hear about 'The Background and Future of the Sun House Conference 2019.' To start, please tell us how each of you first encountered the 'Sun House.'

Miyaji: I worked in the news department at Oita Broadcasting for about 13 years after joining the company. Through my reporting, I learned about "The House of the Sun" and its founder, Dr. Yutaka Nakamura. What made the biggest impression on me was the Oita International Wheelchair Marathon (hereafter, Wheelchair Marathon), which began at Dr. Nakamura's initiative. I covered this marathon every year, so I think I was able to truly feel the significance of "The House of the Sun" and Dr. Nakamura's presence behind it.

Oita Broadcasting System, Hiroya Miyaji

Nogami: I returned to Oita to join this company and worked in sales locally for eight years, but my entry point was also the Wheelchair Marathon.

Kawasaki: I work at Dentsu Inc.'s Media Services / Radio,TV Division. Last year, my supervisor invited me, saying, "Let's go see the Oita Wheelchair Marathon and visit the House of the Sun while we're there." That was my starting point. When I actually went, I experienced a shift in my perspective over those two or three days.

Dentsu Inc. Hiroshi Kawasaki

── Meanwhile, Mr. Shimizu, you transferred from Dentsu Inc. and became president of Dentsu Solari Inc. Dentsu Solari Inc. is Dentsu Inc.'s special subsidiary promoting employment for people with disabilities. Did you learn about Taiyo no Ie through that work?

Shimizu: Yes. Before becoming president of Dentsu Solari Inc., I spent about 30 years in client sales. I was always busy in sales, but a friend's child had a disability. That's what led me to start visiting Type B workshops, and that's where my interest in employment support for people with disabilities began.

Mr. Tsuneyoshi Shimizu, President of Dentsu Solari Inc.

Through interacting with the people with disabilities working there, I found them incredibly earnest and pure. Talking with them felt completely natural to me. As I gained a deeper understanding, I thought, "This might be right for me. I want to do work where I can support people with disabilities." So, I looked around my own company and discovered Dentsu Solari Inc., a company promoting employment and job opportunities for people with disabilities! I negotiated with HR and was sent on assignment there.

That was about two and a half years ago. Then, about a year ago, Mr. Kawasaki and his then-supervisor, Director Nagai, suddenly visited our company. They passionately talked at length about wheelchair marathons and the "House of the Sun." They said, "We want to shine more light on wheelchair marathons and the House of the Sun! We want to do something at Dentsu Inc.!"

──How was the response after actually holding the conference?

Shimizu: The corporate participants were all busy but highly motivated individuals. We packed an extremely tight schedule, from facility tours to workshops. Yet, we heard comments like, "We wanted to see more," and "We wanted to discuss our challenges more deeply." Some even asked, "So, what are we doing next year?" (laughs). You could really feel their tremendous enthusiasm and passion.

Miyaji: After the conference, we also spoke with Mr. Yamashita, the Chairman of Taiyo no Ie. He mentioned that while companies from Tokyo and other major metropolitan areas participated this time, he hopes to expand the circle further next time by having local Kyushu companies join as well.

Nogami: When explaining the conference to Oita Prefecture, a staff member asked, "Aren't companies from Oita Prefecture participating?" I sensed the prefecture itself is hoping to stimulate disability employment within local companies.

──What were your impressions as the organizers?

Nogami: I felt that scale of vision was something only Dentsu Inc. could achieve. We couldn't have conceived a plan of that magnitude based solely on our own ideas.

Oita Broadcasting, Atsushi Nogami

Nogami: In the proposal Mr. Kawasaki gave us during the initial planning stages, it said "Summit." "Let's hold a summit in Beppu!" I was amazed at the grand vision he was painting. It was a scale we couldn't have envisioned on our own. And now, having collaborated on this conference, I feel like I can see a little bit of the potential for future expansion.

Kawasaki: It seems most people involved this time had a generally positive impression, and I personally felt a real sense of accomplishment. That said, for the next one, I feel we need to refine various aspects—including the timing, the scale, the perspective from which it's held, and the breadth of guests we invite.

──Will the next conference be held next year? Hearing everyone's thoughts makes me hopeful it will be an even better event. On the other hand, I imagine you all have challenges you're currently facing. What are your thoughts?

Shimizu: While continuing to employ people with disabilities, expanding our operations is always essential. Sorari has been hiring full-time employees since its second year, and we need an environment where employees can work until retirement. That's precisely why we want to collaborate with companies outside our traditional industry, breaking free from existing frameworks.

Miyaji: From our perspective as a local broadcaster, I feel we must also consider creating a sustainable flow of continuously generating ideas to address social issues. This differs from the traditional frameworks of broadcasting and advertising business, but isn't energizing and supporting our local community also part of our mission?

Shimizu: Yes, initiatives for hiring people with disabilities should expand beyond Tokyo to regional cities. There are cases where companies headquartered in Tokyo partner with local municipalities to hire people with disabilities in regional areas. In some regional cities, finding employment opportunities is challenging, and this also contributes to regional revitalization. I feel that figuring out how central metropolitan areas like Tokyo can partner with regional areas is one of the key challenges.

Kawasaki: As an advertising agency, we also feel a sense of crisis that we won't survive unless we break free from the current state of the advertising industry and sometimes have the courage to become the driving force behind new ventures.
We believe that if we don't go beyond merely placing and receiving advertising orders, and instead actively pursue activities to create new things with leadership and centripetal force for what we feel is necessary for the future society, we will inevitably hit a ceiling.

Miyaji: I believe this same mindset is necessary even for local stations like ours. Oita has the "House of the Sun," whose philosophy is deeply rooted in the community, and Beppu City has collaborated with it – a truly remarkable history. But going forward, I believe we need to transcend the boundaries of Beppu and Oita. As a local station, we must act as a catalyst, sparking chemical reactions to spread this wonderful history and philosophy beyond Oita, helping society evolve.

Kawasaki: "The House of the Sun" isn't just a building; spreading its philosophy and ideals is crucial. I feel that, going forward, television as a medium will be increasingly needed as a tool to shine a light on such social issues. Doing so holds the potential to develop a better life and society for many people. That's where I see television's potential.

(Editor's Note)

Traditionally, television operated by identifying "small themes" like "disabled employment" – topics many companies and individuals likely still perceive as "irrelevant to them" – and disseminating information about them. The moment a story was focused on, the program was essentially complete. Once the uncovered story was packaged in a "documentary-style" format and broadcast, in a sense, that was the end of it.

But the times, society, clearly demand something beyond that. Only by exploring beyond that can we see the "true value" of television going forward. I believe this conviction is what led to the formation of this "Oita Broadcasting × Dentsu Inc." collaboration.

To make things unrelated to oneself feel personally relevant, we deliver not just documentary-style content, but authentic "documentaries." This transforms small themes into "big movements." Can we somehow achieve through television what's already commonplace in the online world? The "Sun House Conference 2019" was born from this spirit of challenge.

I imagine the traditional program-making process went like this: "Find a good local story → Dig deep into it → Share it locally. That's it." Through the collaboration with Dentsu Inc., that process transformed into this: "Find a great local story → Broadcast it widely → Deeply explore it together, including sponsors → Involve even the government to create new systems and businesses → Expand those systems and businesses into a nationwide movement." This process generated a new dynamism originating locally.

What's noteworthy is that the order of "digging deeper" and "sharing" is the exact opposite of the traditional approach. The media "shares" (makes open) the story itself under its own authority before "digging deeper." And it does so widely. People and companies who resonate with the story naturally gather around it. Everyone who gathers then discusses it (i.e., delves deeper). The ideas born from this discussion aren't simply "shared" again; they are transformed into tangible things (public facilities, products, etc.) or systems (institutions, services). They are materialized into something concrete that anyone can experience and empathize with.

Mr. Nogami of Oita Broadcasting was reportedly struck by Mr. Kawasaki's proposal: "Let's hold a summit in Oita focused on employment for people with disabilities!" I believe the key point lies precisely there. Just as the entire nation became enthralled by pro wrestling broadcasts streaming from street TVs. Just as the entire archipelago was glued to the rugby matches broadcast in 4K. The essence of television as a medium, in any era, lies in its ability to widely capture and move people's hearts. The appeal of reality isn't just about immediacy. Depth of information, intensity, and a sense of scale are also indispensable elements.

To thoroughly explore "what television can do, what only television can do," and to pool everyone's wisdom and strength. The ability to stir the depths of the human heart and spark a movement as a social phenomenon is truly unique to the medium of "television." Oita Broadcasting's initiative represents a small yet definite step within the "gaps in television history." Therein lies the immense "potential" for television's future.

Articles #01 to #05 of "Talking TV in the Gaps of Television History" can be found here.