Former gymnast and TV personality Naoki Iketani (52) appeared on the ABEMA variety show "I Tried Selling All My Assets," which aired on June 18th. There was a scene where he was moved to tears by the words of his eldest son, jockey Takuto Iketani.
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," revealed that the reason he has accumulated a massive debt of 120 million yen is that he was a victim of fraud, discovering that "unpaid bills to the travel agency" that he had entrusted to an intermediary were discovered just before the tour of a stage production he was trying to launch, and that "they disappeared in the middle of the night."
Currently, Mr. Iketani is paying off his debts by selling takoyaki from a food truck, performing on stage, and running gymnastics classes, while also dreaming of reviving his "acrobatic restaurant," which was thwarted by the pandemic. Faced with the enormous sum of 96 million yen needed, the program also showed a "family meeting" in which he considered even selling his home. Mr. Iketani was conflicted about burdening his family, but his third son, Yuya, encouraged him, saying, "Your family has to support you."
Furthermore, an interview video with his eldest son, jockey Takumi, was also released. He said, "Mom sent me a LINE message saying, 'Some of Takumi's things might be sold,' and 'Let me know if there's anything important,'" and he gave a strong message of support, saying, "I'm really rooting for my dad's dream of starting a restaurant," and "If it will benefit my dad, I don't mind if they sell it." After watching this video, Iketani took off her glasses and wiped away large tears.
