LETTER FROM TOKYO

Following revelations of sexual assaults in Johnny's (now known as Smile-up) agency for TV stars, another case – involving celebrity comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto, a member of the popular Downtown comedy duo – once again raises questions about the Japanese media's attitude towards celebrity sexual abuse scandals.

In its Wednesday, January 17 edition, the weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun revealed compromising photos, which were shot at hotel room parties and feature the now 60-year-old Matsumoto. Since December 27, 2023, the Bunshun – in keeping with its habit of gradually disclosing its revelations in a trickle of information – has been adding new details to those already published. The first article referred to a party organized in 2015 by Matsumoto and other TV celebrities – Kazutaka Ozawa of the duo Speed Wagon and Jun Kurose of Punk BooBoo – in a suite at the Grand Hyatt in Roppongi, a lively Tokyo district. According to the magazine, Matsumoto had forced a young woman to have sex with him, while shouting such lines as "take care of my baby!" Another woman has claimed to have been forcibly kissed.

Disregarding Matsumoto's statements to the contrary, on January 10 the magazine reported some new testimonies, from women who had met Matsumoto at similar parties in Fukuoka (southwestern Japan) and Osaka (west). The magazine described the details of a "system of payment in sexual favors" that had been established over the years, in which young actors would gather women for Matsumoto's pleasure. The "fixers" would force the young women to turn off their cell phones.

This string of revelations by the Bunshun has led Matsumoto to file a defamation lawsuit. He has promised to "fight" against these "baseless" accusations. On January 10, his agency, the hugely powerful Yoshimoto Kogyo, suspended the star presenter's entertainment activities, stating that "Matsumoto expressed his strong desire to focus [on the case]."

In a country where the #MeToo movement has remained limited in scope, the broadcasting industry giants have been slow to react. It has to be said that Matsumoto was the host of very popular shows on four commercial channels. Since 2016 he has also been the presenter of Documental, a flagship show for Amazon Prime in Japan; and he has been chosen as an ambassador for Expo 2025 in Osaka. In addition, the Yoshimoto Kogyo agency's shareholders include major broadcasting companies such as Fuji Media, TV Asahi, TBS and even Nihon TV.

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