Matsumoto Hitoshi: Plans Shift from Appearing to Canceling on Wide na Show

Hitoshi Matsumoto, who was assertive, has finally canceled his appearance on the January 14th broadcast of ‘Wide na Show’ (Fuji TV), a show where he used to be the MC.

The January 10 issue of Weekly Bunshun reported the second woman scandal involving Hitoshi Matsumoto.

Further testimonies from three additional women have been published. The content reveals that there were terrifying suite rooms not only in Tokyo but also in Fukuoka and Osaka.

It also reported that not only Kazutaka Ozawa of “Speed Wagon” but also Jun Kurose of “Punk Boo Boo” and Kenji Tamura were involved in the scandal as attendants.

According to Bunshun, Matsumoto announced his suspension four hours after he contacted Yoshimoto Kogyo about the contents of this second report.

These moves have been met with objections from various quarters.

Former member of the National Diet, Takashi Tachibana, has been relentlessly pursuing this issue daily on YouTube. Regarding the screenshots of LINE messages sent by Ms. A after attending the party reported by Weekly Woman.

“It finally came out, didn’t it?”

Which was posted on X (Formerly Twitter)

“When I posted ‘It finally came out’ on X, it’s like saying, ‘You should come out yourself (to the press conference).”

“I think it’s wrong for Yoshimoto Kogyo not to let Matsumoto Hitoshi hold a press conference. Let him have a press conference.”

Tachibana said, “I’m used to lawsuits.”

Tachibana is “used to lawsuits” and is currently involved in about seven individual lawsuits with multiple people, but he says, “I have a lot of free time.” Matsumoto’s decision to take time off from work to attend the trial was also described as nonsensical.

“It doesn’t make any sense.”

Matsumoto has been friends with the current editor-in-chief of Weekly Bunshun for a long time, and in a video on August 6, he said.

“You can’t win against Bunshun.”

“There will be more testimonies to come out.”

He emphatically insisted that ‘More testimonies will continue to come out’ and used a whiteboard to explain that Matsumoto’s retirement from the entertainment industry is inevitable.

Shintaro Tabata, a public relations expert who has worked for several well-known companies, including Livedoor and ZOZO, also wrote on his YouTube page that Matsumoto said

“I’ll fight against it because it’s baseless. Including that, I’ll still appear on Wide na Show.”

Posted on X (Formerly Twitter)

“Using the public airwaves licensed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications to put yourself in an advantageous position is obviously more advantageous than holding a press conference away from home.” Said Shintaro.

“As a public relations expert, I don’t think Matsumoto-san will ever be able to come back to terrestrial broadcasting.”

And that’s my personal opinion.

Jun Tamura of the comedy duo “London Boots No. 1 and No. 2” also on the 9th in his X (formerly Twitter).

“I can understand the need to clarify things through a trial regarding Mr. Matsumoto’s case, but… choosing to suspend entertainment activities and comment on Wide na Show, well, it’s not quite convincing to me, It just doesn’t sit right with me.”

“I really think a press conference would be good if it’s truly baseless.”

He posted.

Amidst such backlash from various quarters, Matsumoto posted the following statement on X at around 16:00 on the 9th

The appearance on the “Wide Na Show” was to greet his fans (who may not be there) before his absence from work. It’s just to show his face.

The previous day’s factual statement was not true. The tone was considerably toned down from the previous day’s statement, “I will fight against it because it has no basis in fact.” Later, on the evening of the 10th, Fuji Television finally responded,

Fuji Television Network and Yoshimoto Kogyo have made a comprehensive decision after discussions.

and announced to the news media that the appearance would be canceled.

Yoshimoto says, “There are no such facts whatsoever.”

Where exactly are they drawing the line when they say that?

And now, how does the public view the aftermath of this situation, where Matsumoto, who declared “I’ll fight against it,” eventually made only a brief appearance and seemingly retreated in the face of the enemy on Wide na Show? What are their expectations for a counter argument on the show?