EY Y03 L13 Famous Resignations

  1. People resign from their job for many reasons. Name one.
  2. In Japan, how do people usually resign?
  3. Have you ever quit a job? If yes, tell us about why you did it and how you did it. Did you regret it? Why? If no, tell us about someone you know personally who quit their job. What happened? Are they happier now?
  4. There are often famous resignations on the TV that have been caused by controversy, failure, scandals or public disagreements. Tell us about a famous newscaster, politician, public servant, celebrity, artist or sports personality who quit in a dramatic fashion. What happened?
  5. Tell us about a time where someone being fired or quitting has had disastrous consequences for a sports team, company, pop group, TV show or political party. You can use a personal anecdote or something that you heard or read about.
  6. Which celebrity, sports coach or politician do you think should resign? Why?

Question 1

One reason that comes to mind is to continue one's study. Most of the time, getting a higher degree in a subject that one is passionate about will get them closer to their definition of success.

Question 2

Like in most other countries, people usually submit a resignation letter at least two weeks before the desired leaving date. However, I heard that people discuss with their superiors when they're leaving the company 6 months to a year in advance.

Question 3

I have never quit a job before. However, a friend of mine quit her job at a jewelry company due to power harassment. She seems to be happier now as she's free from the toxic working environment.

Question 4

The most iconic resignation in Japan for me has to be Ryutaro Nonomura's infamous wailing in front of the public. He was accused of spending millions of yen of political funds on gift certificates. The video of him crying became viral that they made lots of jokes about it!

Question 5

The case of ex-AKB48 member Minami Minegishi had serious consequences for the idol industry in Japan. It reignited the debate on idol groups' no-dating policy. At the time this incident happened, AKB48 was taking a lot of heat from international media and critics.

Question 6

He's not exactly a celebrity, but I'm personally not a huge fan of Yasushi Akimoto. His style of music videos objectifies women and disturbingly portrays them.

Tough Vocabulary