<figure id="attachment_353746" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-353746" style="width: 703px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="8dcc286f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/01/d9c59bbbd61172ee5d544c1f862b4be8.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-353746" class="wp-caption-text">Downtown&#8221; Hitoshi Matsumoto has been forced to suspend his entertainment activities due to a sexual scandal. &#8230;&#8230;</figcaption></figure>
 At the end of last year, a sexual scandal involving &#8220;Downtown&#8221; star Matsumoto Hitoshi sent tremors through the entertainment world. The situation has taken a new turn since the beginning of the year.
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 On January 8, Matsumoto announced
 I will not be able to devote all my energy to comedy as I have done in the past, so I would like to suspend my entertainment activities for the time being.
 and announced that he would be suspending his entertainment activities. The seriousness of Yoshimoto and Matsumoto could be felt, and many people on the Internet responded in defense of Matsumoto, saying that if Matsumoto&#8217;s side was willing to go that far, they were willing to do so.
 In addition, a thank-you line sent by a female victim to Kazutaka Ozawa of Speed Wagon was leaked, and this led to more pro-Matsumoto messages. It is understandable that fans want to &#8220;believe&#8221; Matsumoto&#8217;s words.
 However, the reaction of those in the industry was not so clear,
 I have heard similar stories in the past, and I am sure that Bunshun is getting the truth from their interviews, so I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s a lie.
 Many of the victims have also been talking to fellow comedians and gravure personalities on social networking sites.
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 However, there have been many cases in the past where a sexual victim sending a thank-you note does not necessarily mean that it was consensual or that there was no refusal.
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" It was Fuji TV, where &quot;anything goes.&quot; ......"></div>
The leakage of the line also revealed that the party in question had actually taken place,
 This is at odds with Yoshimoto&#8217;s announcement, which stated that there were no such facts whatsoever.
 This was at odds with Yoshimoto&#8217;s announcement that there had been &#8220;no such facts.
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 What surprised industry insiders and TV people, however, was that Matsumoto posted on his X that he would appear on Fuji Television&#8217;s &#8220;Widener Show,&#8221; which is his old stomping ground. To this.
 《I don&#8217;t know if he intends to explain his innocence, but it is not appropriate for him to appear on a program that can be called his old home even though he has been discharged from it.》
 What are you trying to do by appearing on a program that is a discovery program among your peers?
 What do you think you are doing by appearing on a program that is a discovery among your peers? Matsumoto&#8217;s comments on his appearances on the program included the following,
 Matsumoto said, &#8220;My appearance on the Wide Nah Show was to greet my fans (who may not be there) before I take a leave of absence. It&#8217;s just to show my face.
 He commented that his appearance on the show was only to greet his fans (who may not be there) before his absence from the company. It was thought that Fuji Television would not allow Matsumoto to appear on the show, but to no one&#8217;s surprise, Fuji did allow Matsumoto to appear on the show.
 Although he had left the show, it was originally Matsumoto&#8217;s show, so if he wanted to appear on it, we couldn&#8217;t refuse him. If he wants to appear on the show now, we can expect good numbers (viewer ratings).
 But what about producers at other stations?
 &#8220;Maybe it&#8217;s because Fuji TV is said to be in the doldrums. It seems as if anything goes as long as it gets numbers. They must be aware that they would be criticized if they allowed him to appear on the show now.
 Sponsors will not be OK with it, and there is a possibility that they will withdraw their sponsorship. If that happens, I don&#8217;t know if we can continue broadcasting &#8230;&#8230;&#8221;
 Some people were concerned about the program&#8217;s continued existence, but &#8220;as expected,&#8221; the appearance was canceled. As expected, the program was canceled.
 The station explained that the decision was based on an overall assessment of the situation.
 However, according to a Fuji official, there were voices of opposition internally, and there were many voices of condemnation from outside as well.
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 According to the source, there were many voices of opposition internally, and there were also many voices of condemnation externally.
 The sexual assault scandal in the movie industry is still fresh in our minds, but this time it involves not only the comedy industry but also TV stations, and there are signs that it will become an even bigger scandal.

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

 Hiroyuki Sasaki (Entertainment Journalist)

 Downtown star Hitoshi Matsumoto has been forced to suspend his entertainment activities due to a sex scandal. Not only the junior comedians who have been "paying" him off with women, but now the TV industry is getting involved. ......

Fuji TV once agreed to appear on the program&#8230;but Hitoshi Matsumoto&#8217;s &#8220;allegations of sexual assault&#8221; have caused a &#8220;growing uproar&#8221; in the TV world.

Fuji TV once agreed to appear on the program…but Hitoshi Matsumoto’s “allegations of sexual assault” have caused a “growing uproar” in the TV world.

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