Defrocked machine gaming magnate Kazuo Okada has launched a social media campaign, which appears on the surface to be aimed at somehow achieving his reinstatement as head of Universal Entertainment.
Okada founded Tokyo-based Universal, initially a manufacturer and distributor of pachinko and pachislot machines in Japan, but was forced out as chairman and CEO in 2017 for alleged fraudulent dealings.
Okada, who denies any wrongdoing and is suing the company in the Hong Kong courts, has now launched a YouTube channel on which he appeared earlier this month, claiming “I’ll be back” against the theme music from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s The Terminator.
On the post, which has been widely viewed, according to news reports, he also waved a HK$7 million check, promising to award it to one of his social media followers under terms he has yet to specify, although it appears to be conditioned on his return as head of Universal.𑁋“Please support me so that I can realize my reinstatement!” he said.
He has since uploaded a “Part 2” which he begins by saying, “You probably don’t know me,” and goes on to outline his background. “I started with nothing nearly 50 years ago,” he said. “There is a reason I’m here. I’ve been removed from my position as chairman of the company that I founded and was running. This is extremely offensive.”
He closes with a request for viewers to keep watching, promising more videos to come.
Reports say he’s also opened a Twitter account which he is updating frequently with his current situation and intentions.
Universal responded, “We have nothing to say. To put it bluntly, there is zero possibility of Kazuo Okada being reinstated.”
