Japanese TV programs have been dominated by tarento, multi-talented entertainers who can sing, act, talk, host or appear in commercials. These entertainers, by forming an intimacy with TV viewers, have played an important role in mediating cultural resources to audiences. With tarento emerging as cultural mediators, television became increasingly considered as a medium helping viewers have a clearer view of their society, and was able to counter anti-television criticisms that relegated television to a medium that continued to offer mindless entertainment programs.

Introduction

Japanese TV programs have been filled with a variety of entertainers. The so-called tarento, a transliteration of the English-word “talent,” are those entertainers who play diverse roles in dramas, music shows, wide shows and other variety shows. They are usually multi-talented individuals who can sing, act, talk, host or appear in commercials. Tarento have dominated Japanese entertainment television so much that any individuals who regularly appear on TV shows are called tarento regardless of their true talent. In fact, they are known for the mediocrity in their art, often supplemented by frequent media exposure.

Due to the dominance of their presence in Japanese television, many scholars have discussed this tarento phenomenon. The discussion of tarento has first and foremost focused on their multi-talentedness. They are entertainers who are usually associated with multiple TV genres. With this intertextual exposure, tarento form an intimacy with TV audiences. Unlike movie stars who seem beyond reach of their fans, tarento often do not hesitate to express their true emotions and honest thoughts in front of cameras. Often tarento are expected to act spontaneously even when they have a script to follow, thereby exposing their private selves. Scholars argue that such “honesty” and “spontaneity” helps television create a sense of “unmediatedness” toward its viewers.

Along with the appeal to the sense of immediacy and unmediatedness, scholars emphasize the tarento's centrality in the Japanese TV industry and national culture. They argue that tarento have been a “fundamental labor component of the Japanese entertainment and televisual industries,” and a “monetary unit of late capitalism.”