Teruyuki Kagawa chooses Kabuki as his “comeback from scandal” and the TV industry “booed” him. | FRIDAY DIGITAL

Teruyuki Kagawa chooses Kabuki as his “comeback from scandal” and the TV industry “booed” him.

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Teruyuki Kagawa, who appeared as “Ichikawa Chuguruma” in December’s “Ichikawa Danjuro Succession Performance,” was ……

In 2010, there were many reports of scandals involving celebrities, such as drug problems and adultery, and one of the most notable incidents was Teruyuki Kagawa’s assault on a Ginza hostess.

Why was an incident that occurred two years ago reported now?”

The mystery has yet to be solved, but it was a story that caused quite a stir.

According to a two-week report in Shukan Shincho, Kagawa sexually harassed a woman seated at a high-class club in Ginza by touching her breasts and ripping off her bra, as well as grabbing a handful of her mother’s hair.

In the first report, although there was no photographic evidence, the details of Kagawa’s outrageous behavior were so detailed that many fans were turned off by the story. However, there were not a few people who defended Kagawa because it happened at night in Ginza and he had already settled the case,” said a sports newspaper reporter.

(Sports newspaper reporter) Still, it goes without saying that Kagawa’s departure was the focus of much attention because of the reports of sexual harassment of the popular actor that stunned the public.

At the time, Kagawa not only appeared in dramas and movies as an actor, but also served as the Friday MC of the information program “THE TIME,” (TBS) and appeared in many commercials. Most people in the industry thought that Kagawa would drop the information program and the commercials, but he never stepped down as MC, nor did he drop the commercials.

A TBS official recalled the situation.

We thought we would be able to get by with an apology in the program, especially since no one had decided to terminate the commercials and especially since Toyota, a major sponsor, had not terminated its commercials.”

However, the photo that appeared in the second news report had such a strong impact that the wind suddenly changed.

As the “Shincho” wrote, the photo of her pulling up Mama’s hair and holding it in one hand looked like a warrior taking down an enemy general and raising his head, and many people were horrified beyond pulling back.

As a result, the voices of condemnation overwhelmingly outweighed those of defense.

The commercial sponsors could no longer tolerate this situation, and with the exception of one company, decided to discontinue one after another, forcing TBS to drop him.

However, when the movie “Miyamatsu and Yamashita,” in which Kagawa starred, was completed before the news broke, it was released, and many people began to re-evaluate Kagawa as an actor, with some even hoping that he would return to drama production. However, the difficult situation has not changed.

In recent years, when a disgraced TV personality is on a program, more and more people complain directly not only to the TV station but also to the sponsors of that program. Unless the sponsors give the OK, it will be difficult for them to appear on TV” (an advertising agency employee).

They say that sponsors are unlikely to shake their heads at the idea of putting Kagawa, who has made enemies with women, in a TV drama.

If TV is not an option, Kagawa will have to find a way to make a living in the movies or on stage, where people who want to see the drama can pay to see it.

But Kagawa also has a Kabuki actor named “Ichikawa Chuguruma,” who is also a Kabuki actor. According to a source close to Shochiku

“For a long time, adultery, cheating on one’s wife, and other ‘womanizing’ activities were tolerated as ‘fertilizer for the arts,’ but times have changed. But times have changed, and some young kabuki fans have reacted negatively to such behavior. And in Nakaguruma’s case, it was not a sexy story, but a “sexual assault,” so many people in the Kabuki world were frowning at her.

It was thought that it might be difficult for her to return to kabuki, but it was announced that she would appear in the performance of Danjuro Ichikawa XIII. According to reports in some weekly magazines, this was due to the backing of Danjuro, with whom she is said to be on good terms, but those in the TV industry are reluctant to accept her Kabuki appearance as a chance to make a comeback.

A producer of a key station’s information program said, “If the names are different, they will see it as a different persona.

A producer of a key station’s information program said, “If his name is different, we cannot take him as a different persona. It would have been better if there had been some kind of apology before his return to the Kabuki stage. He knows that his theatrical apology on live TV was met with a lot of backlash, so I think it would have been better if he had held a press conference to apologize firmly again.

As was the case with Ken Watanabe and Becky, not holding a press conference early enough or failing to do so will have repercussions later on. Some people think that there is no need to hold a press conference. Especially in Mr. Kagawa’s case, he has already settled the case. However, it is a customary practice in the Japanese entertainment industry to hold a press conference to apologize, and needless to say, it is a way to set the record straight. Whether or not to hold a press conference can change what happens next. ……

Perhaps he was planning to sit back and wait for the storm to pass, but the “Shukan Shincho” (January 5-12 issue), released at the end of last year, published a confession by a Ginza mama and new “crime scene photos” showing Kagawa placing his face on the nape of her neck and sniffing her. The storm that was about to leave was about to return. The storm that was about to pass away returned.

If they had held a press conference and made a sincere and firm apology, there would not have been a third installment, and if things continue as they are, their return to television will not go forward,” said a source in the entertainment industry.

If he had held a press conference to show his sincerity and apologize firmly, there would not have been a third installment.

Kagawa has been in the entertainment business for 30 years. It is hard to believe that he does not understand the importance of the apology press conference.

  • Text Hiroyuki Sasaki (entertainment journalist)

    Born in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Hiroyuki Sasaki became a reporter for FRIDAY at the age of 31, reporting numerous scoops during his time with FRIDAY and later working mainly for the weekly magazine. Recently, he has been appearing on TV and radio as a commentator.

  • PHOTO Ippei Hara

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