Former gymnast and TV personality Naoki Iketani appeared on the ABEMA variety show "I Tried Selling All My Assets," which aired on June 18th, and confessed the reason for his enormous debt.
The program is a variety show that supports people starting a new life by following celebrities who, of their own volition, sell off all their assets and pursue new dreams. The show is hosted by Takashi Yoshimura of the comedy duo "Heisei Nobushikobushi" and Ruriko Kojima.
Iketani, who has appeared on sports variety shows such as "Kinniku Bansuke" (TBS), and holds the world record for "23 steps in the Monster Box," confessed that he had been a victim of fraud in the past. He explained that just before the tour of a stage production he was trying to launch, it was discovered that he hadn't paid the travel agency he had entrusted with the arrangements, and that the agency had "disappeared in the middle of the night."
Currently, Iketani is paying off his debts by selling takoyaki from a food truck, performing on stage, and teaching gymnastics classes, all while harboring a dream of reviving his "acrobatic restaurant," which was thwarted by the pandemic. Among the items he had appraised to help him achieve his dream was his "monster box" (a 23-tiered vaulting box), a "glorious asset" that symbolizes him.
A specialist, who said, "Now might be the time to sell," conducted a detailed appraisal, and the appraisal amount announced in the studio was 3.5 million yen. The reasons for the appraisal, "The 23-tiered vaulting box has rarity value, and it will become a one-of-a-kind item if Naoki Iketani owns it," and "It can be expected to generate revenue at events," were so astonished by the surprisingly high appraisal that Yoshimura stood up in amazement, and Kojima was also very excited, saying, "That's amazing!"
