FUJI TV SHOW EXPOSES ESP HOAX

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: STARGATE
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96-00792R000400330017-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: November 4, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 10, 2000
• Sequence Number: 17
• Publication Date: February 10, 1984
• Content Type: NOTES

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Source: "Shukan Asahe issue aated 10 Feb ei
FUJI TV SHOW EXPOSES ESP HOAX
1
After a brief lull, the ESP craze has shown signs of a comeback. Recently, a
? Fuji TV camera crew shooting a special documentary on ESP succeeded in recording
several questionable demonstrations.
The-de6ndiAtniie 'Sfddeiftei; laletity:teilided.by"Tir
- viewers..-.0me.is.KIYOTA Masuaki, age- 21,.a third-year. student. at Senshu.University,:
whose repertoire includes twisting and bending spoons and psychic photography using
Polaroid film. "Sunday Mainichi," which has covered KIWITA's career in great
detail since last fall, says he is adept at twisting spoons and "seeing through"
mirrors. The other is YAMASHITA Hiroto, age 19, a second-year student at Tokyo
.7.,?......4401.014141.10114kgtb. elAlT3rOFV140'teid4 Clitdb-iitd:X/Pkes-W14W"
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blindfolded.
Fuji TV planned a two-hour documentary for airing during its Friday "Family
Wide Show" on 3 Feb. Shooting took place at a hotel in SHINJUKU, TOKYO, from 26
Dec for ten days. All the demonstrations were observed by a.panel comprising
commentator TACHIRANA Takashi, SUZUKI Matsumi, director,of. the Japan Acoustic
Institute (Nippcm.Onkyo Kenkyujo) and OTANI Soji, professor of psychology at the
Defense Academy.
No matter how many times the TV crew tried, they were unable to record the much
publicized spoon twisting demonstration by KIYOTA in complete sequence. KIYOTA
would show the spoon to the panel but always after it has been twisted, never
before. It was speculated that KIYOTA twisted the spoon with his hands when nobody
was looking.
While the cameras were trying to record the spoon sequence, a strange thing
. happened. The first person to.noticethat_spmetbing. was wrong was produceF.URUIA
Toshio. On 29 Dec, writer HATA Masanori observed that KIYOTA, grasping the handle
of the already deformed spoon in his left hand, rotated the spoon slowly as if he
were tYlqing it. Then, on .t4e.39th,_two hours after thedempnstration.started and
..,:,upt111.14 -happened p:X4Y0ft. started pacing. the aopt. While .the panel.followed his
movementon the TV Miiinitoic -TAttajikkiA, saiitlItSTA 13'64 '
. ?
On.6 Jan KIYOTA appeared.= Nippon Television's "Noon Wide Show." Fuji TV
aeras were et in te s4idio, ge cin the guest, anotei hidaen in thee
coordinator's booth. The hidden camera recorded a sequence Where KIYOTA.was'Seen' -
bending the spoon with his hands before he went on the show.
During the psychic photography demonstration, KIYOTA pulled another serious
blunder. Four cameras were used for this demonstration, an overhead stationary
camera, one set up in the exhaust duct, another on a shelf, and the last set up
behind a see-through mirror. KIYOTA, finding himself alone, slipped a Polaroid
film into his pocket before retiring to the restroom. Five minutes later, he
emerged, transferred the film to a holder, then appeared to make a psychic
photograph. Flashing a V sign to the panel, he jested "Friday the 13th must be my
lucky day for I see my psychic powers have not deserted me."
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Producer IIRUTA speculates, "After he went to the restroom, a lady who was in
the area said she beard what sounded like somebody breaking open a wrapper.
Probably, that's when he developed the film."
YAMASHITA's demonstration was equally suspect. The blindfold he used was his
own, a black cloth filled with cotton padding. Blindfolded, he was able to read
cards and dice with total accuracy. Complex figures be was able to reproduce using
a pencil. However, during the demonstrations,,thFs,pinel
''albfieig'ifere-ieStfiEted telt illIfYiPtc^freld. Of 'vlsion.'-Ai is Shown-in tfie
.P .160, he was .able to .see clairvoyantly within a ? specific -field located iirectly.- -
below his SUZUKI' bbaerves that his field of vision was about what one
would expect if a blindfolded person were looking out through a narrow opening. .
CLAIRVOYANT SEES ONLY OBJECTS CLOSE AT HAND
'ipia's ?unable read objects PiEiC'ed behind' a curtain made
of the same vateriat.ab the blthdf9ld, 'S.UZDKI:Osekies., an opening as small .
.0.04MMinider'the. iplindfold. Could made a world of difference. . You must remember
he has sharp features, including a prominent nose. .We 'suggested sealing his eyes
completely, but he said the pressure on his eyes would restrict his psychic powers."
So it was not until the ninth day that?YAMASHITA finally agreed to have his
eyes sealed completely. Needless to say, his clairvoyant powers deserted him at
that point. Magicians are able to read cards while blindfolded for the same reason.
When SUZUKI demonstrated this trick for YAMASHITA, the latter complained, "The
important difference here is I keep my eyes shut when blindfolded but you don't."
If YAMASHITA is telling the truth, I can only say that ESP is beyond my
comprehension. TACHIBANA says, "Whether we can call this ESP is very questionable."
.,On 14.Jan,, the last day pf the. shooting, :the panel confronted KITOTAswith all
the evidence it had gathered. Overwhelmed, KIYOTA admitted the demonstrations were
fraudulent. .His confession was recorded by a bidden camera and shown later. to TV
In that .sequence, pY0T4_ .demqnstnated,..h9y .he.l?pnt spoon with his.
.
hands. That sequence is shown in
photos at First, cradles.tht..spoon ,in
,
his right sand, grasig tbe Placing his Ammta at the
-fnaFro!ies,part of the spoon,he ,.,bOads it 034 ft byorixig bis tiatiett
'back and forth. This takes one second if done alov.11y,,O..5 secomd.s.,Af,dose.?
who ?Cail 41.1reZt the
itlention of 'the audiaRce for 03 saqopds cam -qualify as ..41 psychic:. - , ? :
- .
- - ?
Panelist SUZUKI put on his own demonstration, adding, "Even a grandmother of 84
years can learn this trick. Once you become fairly good at it, the spoon bends
easily and you almost begin to wonder if you are not indeed psychic."
KIYOTA, after being exposed as a fraud, said, "The pressure to perform within a
limited time frame became so great I just had to use physical force. But I must
say this is the first time it has happened."
TACHIBANA is skeptical, "Since we caught them cheating this time, we have to
suspect this isn't the first time."
SUZUKI, who appeared on a Nippon Television show on ESP before, once measured
the 34.5_megahertz radio waves emitted by KIYOTA's brain. KIYOTA showed me a
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videotape of that program. SUZUKI says, "That's not unusual since we all give off
these emissions." On the show, KIYOTA made a fluorescent lamp glow with his brain
emissions. SUZUKI explains, "We boosted the emissions a million times just to
impress our TV audience."
Needless to say, the disgraced psychics offered a rebuttal. TV officials say
the Yamashita family has asked that all his scenes be cut from the show.
'.-PeoduciiIMUYtiCaiyi,'"WO*.th.ai'MOTA'S hoax has b0p.upeoygred, pw,Yam4shlta. ?
t.. .-Samily* fears ?that- vitioefg 1(IT6TA and. has 'asked' us "to ? ?
restructure the show." . ? ? ?
KYOCERA PRESIDENT A STAUNCH SUPPORTER
? ? ? ? ? " ? !YAMS egYp. -.ZAP. ? ill .40t 7:011 age.
'free % .6.'0 ? ? ? ?? ? ? *
. KIYOTA's father, Yoshinori, who operates a sushi shop in downtown TOKYO .says,
"When our. son confessed, we considered closing our shop and moving. But we have
decided to stick it out. We are told that NHK might do a program on Masuaki, if
he's lucky."
A well-known Liberal Democratic Party Diet member wondered what all the fuss
was about. It is rumored that Dentsu Inc, an advertising giant, is also interested.
YAMASHITA's father, Takemasa, is a director of Daiwa Securities Co, Inc and a
former manager of its Kyoto Branch. He has many friends in the Kansai financial
world who are familiar with his son's psychic powers. While the TV show was being
recorded, YAMASHITA put on clairvoyant demonstrations for executives of Daiwa
Securities and Sumitomo Bank.
Commenting op the recent. TV :show, Kyocera president INAMORI?Kazdosays; "It-is .
nonsense .to try tp provide scientific evidence of ESP.. Thee demodstrafions are
influenced greatly by the spiritual atmosphere. If I had been in the audience,
perhaps things woul.d have .gone .
. . . . . _
?
? KIYOtA has te4ive1 iuvitat.Ione... from ..ccii.tetek..in-,10e. US And - has e?ucted a?
? ??-?:?':*?.:?-?"?:-ditiorilifiiiii:Oia or NAKAYAMA Taro Of the Prime Ciffi,c,".:?:BOth,KiniTA...and ?
:YAMASHITA irperieikesk an, awakening of their: psychic powers .af ter. Yuri .GELLER ,
boom collapsed, IYOTA continued?tovisit ..resoarchers--nt?the.TleCtrii ' ? ? ?
Cammunications University and Defense Academy.
Some years back, this magazine published an interesting observation by YAMAMOTO
Shichihei, writer, "ESP is ESP because we are unable to believe in its existence.
These demonstrations should be conducted before an audience of skeptics.
Otherwise, they are meaningless."
Perhaps we can say the demonstrations failed because a skeptical TV crew
possessed super-psychic powers which nullified the psychic powers of KIYOTA and
YAMASHITA.
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ApprienokkoEgiltaftegfaiiMiltakeeliMiirAtigii2a9qPiWaVeig7"%hukan Asstd.' which has
been critical of the ESP boom. Still suffering from shock, he is undergoing
hypnotherapy.
Photo captions:
Page 158 Buoyant KIYOTA (left) and YAMASHITA at start of shooting
Page 159 RIYOTA demonstrates how he bent apoon. with...hands hoax .was -exposed.-
0.. 0: ? ? - ?: r'?? ?
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the..spoon ?:?.. ? .
2) . Bending the spoon with both hands
3) Restoring the spoon to its original shape
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4) nd of demonstration
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Sketch of photo of YAMASHITA wearing aluminum foil crown during clairvoyant
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BLINDFOLD
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Cannot read cards. placed here
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