After the Premiere of "Yes, Minister"

On the screen, Minister Hacker is attempting to push for a transparency policy.

Humphrey immediately retaliated.

He spent a full two minutes using extremely ornate, grammatically perfect, yet utterly meaningless official language to leave the ministers completely bewildered.

"We agree to make the information public in principle, but in practice, we need to consider the sensitivity of the information, the public's tolerance, and the potential for unnecessary administrative unrest."

After this tirade, a line of small text appeared on the screen: Translation: We won't tell you anything.

"Cheers!"

Suzuki laughed and raised his second can of beer, giving it a polite nod to the television screen.

This is not a United Kingdom comedy at all.

This is clearly a revealing account of the true nature of Japan bureaucrats!

On the other side.

Nakayama family's living room.

Eri watched as Minister Hacker was completely outmaneuvered by Humphrey on TV and couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

"This is so realistic. Do these bureaucrats go to work every day just to deal with their bosses?"

"What do you think?" Nakayama Takuya picked up the last piece of melon with his fork. "Ministers are elected by the voters, and they leave after a few years. The Permanent Vice-Minister, on the other hand, has a secure job. Prime Ministers come and go, but bureaucrats remain. This saying applies to Japan as well."

Nakayama Takuya watched TV, fully aware of the show's destructive power.

At this point, the Japan people's resentment towards the economic stagnation had reached its peak.

The incompetence of the Ministry of Finance Hashimoto government and the constant scandals involving hospitality in the Ministry of Kasumigaseki caused the people to completely lose trust in the elite bureaucrats of Kasumigaseki.

The appearance of "Yes, Minister" provided an outlet for this resentment.

There's no need to take to the streets to protest, no need to demonstrate in front of the government building.

Every night at 11:30, I sit at home drinking beer and watching politicians and bureaucrats on TV scheming against each other, bickering, and treating national affairs like a joke.

For corporate slaves and executives suffering from the realities of life, this sense of detached mockery is more exhilarating than drinking the strongest liquor.

The first episode ended quickly.

The end credits started scrolling.

Then, several more advertisements for legal consulting services targeting small and medium-sized enterprises were shown.

The effectiveness of this precise targeting strategy was amplified to its maximum during this period.

After witnessing how unreliable government departments are, business owners who see advertisements for professional and efficient third-party services will almost immediately call to inquire without hesitation.

Eri stretched.

"This show's ratings are definitely going to be high. After getting used to shows full of intellectual battles and dark humor, who can stand those cheesy, sentimental romance dramas in prime time?"

"My father-in-law has really widened this moat to the extreme." Nakayama Takuya stood up and took the empty fruit plate in his hand.

10:00 AM.

TV Tokyo Headquarters, Director's Office.

A freshly brewed cup of black coffee sits on the solid wood desk, steam rising from it.

Two rhythmic knocks came from outside the door.

"Come in." Nakagawa Jun turned a page of the documents on the table without looking up.

Sato, the head of the film purchasing department, pushed open the door and came in.

He held several bound paper reports in his hand, and walked quickly and steadily to his desk, where he stood with his legs together.

Sato bent down and handed the top report to Nakagawa Jun with both hands.

"Director, the statistics department has received and calculated the data from last night's late-night broadcast, and it was just delivered to me."

Nakagawa Jun put down the documents in his hand, picked up his coffee cup, and then picked up the report.

"The premiere of 'Yes, Minister'?"

"Yes." Sato straightened up, pointing to the data column of the report and stating the specific figures, "The average viewership rating for the first episode basically reached the level of ' The Silver Tycoon's ' premiere last month. If we deduct the slight difference after the decimal point, it's slightly lower by 0.4 percentage points."

Sato paused for two seconds.

He carefully observed Nakagawa Jun's reaction but saw no change in his expression.

Sato immediately adopted a tone of regret mixed with admiration.

"Director, this is you. When we were purchasing these two dramas, you told me about 'Yes, Minister'..."

It didn't have the same broad audience reach as "The Silver Tycoon." I still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that the show's scathing humor might attract some housewives who enjoy watching dramas to the television.

Sato crossed his arms in front of him, offering a professional compliment.

"Now that the data is out, it completely confirms your judgment. Housewives really didn't buy it, and the data didn't surpass ' The Silver Tycoon,' which is a real pity."

Nakagawa Jun took a sip of coffee and placed the cup on the coaster.

He leaned back, his body resting against the back of the leather chair.

"What's a pity?" Nakagawa Jun asked calmly, tapping his fingers on the table. "What's ' The Silver Tycoon ' about? Everyone's a villain, business warfare, and the exchange of interests. There's revenge and ethical grudges mixed in. The female lead has a lot of screen time too. Even if housewives don't understand the short-selling and long-buying strategies, they can still enjoy watching it as a drama about a wealthy family's feuds."

Nakagawa Jun casually flipped through two pages of reports and tossed them aside.

"What about 'Yes, Minister'?"

Sato immediately responded.

"This show is too hardcore. It's all about how bureaucrats use official documents and rhetoric to deal with the prime minister. A few people are arguing and passing the buck in the office. Housewives would just find this boring."

"Not only is it boring, but they also lack any real-life pain points to empathize with." Nakagawa Jun took out a cigar and picked up the table...

The scissors snipped off one end. "The audience profile in this report shows that 95% are adult men, and the majority are between 30 and 50 years old. Is that right?"

Sato nodded repeatedly, followed by a forced smile.

You even guessed the audience profile perfectly.

Nakagawa Jun struck a match, lit his cigar, took a puff, and exhaled grayish-white smoke.

"This isn't a guess. Men between thirty and fifty years old are the most overworked group in this country. They're middle managers in companies, caught in the middle between bureaucracy and senior management every day. They know better than anyone what kind of bureaucrats those in Kasumigaseki are."

Nakagawa Jun pointed at Sato with his finger holding a cigar.

"They've had their day in the sun, and then they watch this show at night, seeing how Sir Humphrey uses a bunch of nonsense to confuse Minister Hacker. This isn't watching a comedy; it's watching a reflection of themselves. Housewives can't understand this kind of resonance."

Sato pulled out his notebook and pretended to be attentively listening to his instructions.

"Director, you're absolutely right. As long as we retain this core audience, this small difference is nothing."

Sato put away his notebook and lowered his voice.

"However, before I came up here, the people from the advertising department complained to me a bit. They said that the number of inquiries from advertising agencies doing tax planning and debt restructuring this morning wasn't as high as expected. It wasn't as good as when * the Silver Tycoon * just launched..."

The show was a huge hit in its first few days. The people in the advertising department were a little nervous, worried that the sponsors might cause trouble.

After hearing this, Nakagawa Jun couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

"Get those idiots in the advertising department to use their brains! Are we selling ads or cabbages?"

Sato was startled and quickly stood up straight.

"These B2B services targeting businesses often have an average order value of several million or even tens of millions. Can the conversion cycle be the same as that of consumer goods?" Nakagawa Jun's tone became stern as he directly exposed the underlying business logic.

"Last night, the company owner saw an advertisement on TV and thought this tax consulting firm was a good fit. When he got to the office this morning, will he be able to just pick up the phone and transfer money?"

Nakagawa Jun slammed his hand on the table.

"He first needs to call the finance manager and legal manager into his office for a meeting. He needs to bring out the agency mentioned in the advertisement and have his staff verify the company's qualifications and check their past success stories. This process will take at least two or three days. After working at the station for so long, doesn't he understand what a corporate decision-making chain is?"

Nakagawa Jun placed the cigar on the edge of the ashtray.

"Go tell the advertising department to relax. Call those clients and reassure them. There's no rush. They'll be busy in a few days."

"Yes, I'll go to the advertising department myself and give them a piece of my mind." Sato readily agreed and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute," Nakagawa Jun called out to him.

Sato quickly stopped and turned around.

"Is there anything else you need, Director?"

Nakagawa Jun opened a drawer, took out a broadcast schedule, and threw it on the table.

"These ratings still have room to rise."

Sato straightened his back and listened attentively to the instructions.

"Last night, the trailer that aired near the end of the WBS news was surprisingly effective," Nakagawa Jun tapped the broadcast schedule. "They cut together Prime Minister Hashimoto's economic data with Minister Hacker's lines from the drama. This tactic of using someone else's strength against them was spot on."

Sato immediately recalled the sensational trailer from last night.

"That move was absolutely brilliant. This morning when I came to work, several people at the station were talking about it. They were all saying that it had completely exposed Kasumigaseki colors."

"Since the results are good, let's continue to increase the intensity," Nakagawa Jun ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Go find the head of the news department. Tell them not to be idle; while social emotions are tense right now, go and cut out a few more versions."

Nakagawa Jun provided specific operational guidelines.

"Recently, the Ministry of Finance has been embroiled in numerous hospitality scandals, and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry has a mountain of problems. Let's gather all these real-world news stories and edit them together with clips of bureaucratic buck-passing from 'Yes, Minister.' We'll create short clips ranging from thirty to sixty seconds long."

Sato was utterly astonished.

"Director, are you trying to insult me right in my face?"

"How can we help the audience vent their emotions if we don't criticize them?" Nakagawa Jun leaned forward. "Tell the news department that starting today, whether it's the midday news, the evening in-depth reports, or the weekend political interviews, allocate a short advertising slot before the end of every political program."

Nakagawa Jun jabbed his finger forcefully into the broadcast schedule.

"Show these newly edited trailers. Play them on a loop, whenever you can!"

Sato looked troubled.

"Director, the advertising slots in the news department are already tight. Forcing so many ads in will definitely cause them resentment." Tell them this indirectly increases their viewership. Think about it, to understand these short clips, they'd have to watch current affairs and financial news first, right?"Nakagawa Jun interrupted Sato, his tone firm. "The news department's advertising revenue isn't even comparable to..."

"Let's talk about late-night slots. Right now, the entire station's strategic resources must be unconditionally tilted towards late-night slots to solidify this hard-won time slot. Moreover, in the current social climate, public discontent is nearing a breaking point."

Nakagawa Jun picked up his coffee and took a sip to moisten his throat.

"I want to gather all the business owners and social elites in Japan who are angry about the government's incompetence and extremely anxious about the current economic situation into our late-night slot on TV Tokyo. We'll deepen and solidify this moat. Anyone who dares to hinder us at this critical juncture will have to hand in their resignation!"

"Understood!" Sato dared not utter another word and loudly agreed.

Nakagawa Jun is determined to use this political drama as a weapon to strike hard at the current social pain points in Japan.

Sato dared not be negligent.

Sato bowed a perfect ninety-degree angle.

"I'll contact the news department immediately to coordinate, and we'll schedule the news segment for today's noon!"

"Go ahead," Nakagawa Jun waved his hand.

Sato quickly left, closing the office door behind him.

At 11:20 PM, the "Bird Heart" izakaya under the Shimbashi Station overpass.

The tram rumbled overhead, making the glass on the table vibrate.

Takahashi loosened his tie, raised his beer mug, and tilted his head back to gulp down most of it.

The cool air, mixed with alcohol, rushed into my stomach, dispelling some of the heat of the September night.

Takahashi let out a burp and slammed his glass down on the wooden table.

"I just couldn't help laughing a little too loudly last night." Takahashi grabbed a handful of edamame and squeezed it into his mouth. "My wife slammed the bedroom door shut, complaining that I woke up the kids, and insists I sleep on the sofa today."

Across from him, Yamamoto draped his suit jacket over the back of his chair and used a toothpick to fork a piece of grilled chicken skin from his plate and took a bite.

"So you dragged me out in the middle of the night just to watch TV at an izakaya?" Yamamoto chewed on chicken skin and glanced up at the 21-inch CRT TV in the corner.

A mindless comedy Variety is playing on the screen.

Several artists slipped and fell flat on their backs in the mud.

"What do you know?" Takahashi wiped the beer foam from the corner of his mouth. "That show, one viewing is definitely not enough. Today at the company, all I could think about was Humphrey's hypocritical face. Even the president was discussing the plot with several department heads this afternoon. It's much more interesting than those tearful, sentimental romance dramas in prime time."

Yamamoto picked up the bottle and filled Takahashi's empty glass.

"Is it really that amazing? I went to Yamato Bank to apply for a loan today, and the account manager was talking about this too. But I worked overtime yesterday and missed the premiere."

Takahashi leaned forward and lowered his voice.

"Strip those bureaucrats in Kasumigaseki bare. You'll understand after you read it."

Takahashi raised his wrist and glanced at his watch; it was 11:25.

He turned and waved to the owner behind the counter who was flipping the skewers.

"Boss, could you please switch channels? Switch to TV Tokyo."