G.O. Group closely resembled a cult, with staffers beating on a taiko drum and chanting Ogami’s 10 commandments at daily meetings. Every Monday, they viewed his weekly video address, in which he stuttered gems like “follow the path of truth” while dressed in a fresh Versace outfit. Employees then had to write reviews of that day’s performance. Ogami read these diligently, and had underlings seek out authors of bad reviews for scoldings. Workers were made to sit in rivers in the lotus position and stand in the rain shouting Ogami’s commandments. He took the stage on these outings, rambling for hours about the Japanese spirit and the country’s honorable role in World War II. “We all shut up and stuck it out because we needed the salary,” sighs Toshinori Nakajima, an executive appointed acting president before he quit last fall. “No one actually believed in any of the stuff.”

King Con. Time Asia on Genta Ogami and G. Cosmos. The article even has screenshots of his movie, Blades of the Sun, where he plays a samurai on a quest for banaba tea.