Presenter of countless Japanese TV programs, half of the famous Downtown comedy duo, and father of the "LOL: qui rit sort" ("the one who laughs, exits") format – a comedy show bought by Amazon Prime Video and adapted in a dozen countries, including France – Hitoshi Matsumoto is undoubtedly the funniest man in Japan. At least, he used to be. Since December 26, 2023, the 60-year-old comedian no longer amuses many people. Bunshun, a Japanese tabloid combining investigative and celebrity journalism, published an explosive investigation titled "A Night of Terror with Hitoshi Matsumoto." The report focused on a VIP party in the winter of 2015, during which "Matchan" allegedly sexually assaulted a woman.

This report, disseminated through news websites and social media, has created a major stir. Matsumoto is not merely a comedian; he is a towering figure in Japanese comedy. "When you come home from work, if you turn on your TV, you're sure to run into him," said Kazu, a young Tokyo resident in his thirties who didn't want to give his name. His friend Sugure, in his fifties, agreed. "When I was at university, 30 years ago, my classmates and I all watched him. He's done a lot of shows since the start of his career, and he's always remained the funniest."

In December 2023, while Bunshun journalists were fine-tuning the final details of their article, Matsumoto was still presenting seven shows on competing Amazon Prime Video channels, stepping up his media appearances and deliberating over the younger generation of comedians as a jury member of the M-1 Grand Prix, the country's most important manzai [a traditional Japanese comedy style] competition. "He's the big godfather of comedy in Japan, the one who decrees what's funny and what's not," explained Shawn De Haven, a Tokyo-based researcher specializing in Japanese humor.

The proud comedian didn't take the matter seriously right away. Two days after the investigation's publication, he even commented ironically on his X account that it was putting off his budding desire to retire. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of comments supported him and mocked the article. But Bunshun wasn't done yet. Articles and testimonies of anonymous victims have followed one after another, exposing a system of domination that goes beyond the single evening in 2015.

For the past 20 years, the comedian has allegedly been asking a number of his fellow comedians to procure very specific profiles of women (bank clerk, librarian, waitress...), and then sexually harassing or even raping them. The scandal has spread and the number of names of comedians involved has risen. Matsumoto has not yet gone to court, but on January 8, 2024, he withdrew from all his shows to prepare for his lawsuit against Bunshun.

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