<figure id="attachment_354031" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1640px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-354031"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="9881cf95"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/01/e1f6a4c609d02129fc82acb49d49061e.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-354031" class="wp-caption-text">Fans at Shin-Osaka Station surrounded Sanma as he returned to Tokyo after finishing his work in Osaka (October &#8217;23).</figcaption></figure>
<p>Following the announcement by Downtown&#8217;s Hitoshi Matsumoto (60) that he would be taking a hiatus, the presence of Akashiya Sanma (68), a senior member of Yoshimoto Kogyo, is said to have increased even more.</p>
<p>In the entertainment world, Akashiya-san&#8217;s astonishing &#8220;communicative ability,&#8221; which he demonstrated again early in the new year, was especially noteworthy. In his own special program, Takuya Kimura and Mao Inoue gave him a series of &#8220;New Year scoop statements&#8221; one after another.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> First of all, &#8220;Sanma&#8221; cut into a taboo in the New Year&#8217;s Day broadcast of &#8220;Santaku&#8221; (Fuji Television Network), which he and Kimura hosted together. He began by referring to the issue of sexual assault by Johnny&#8217;s sons&#8217; former boss, Mr. Kitagawa, saying, &#8220;I have to ask you about it. Kimura frankly confessed that he consulted with Sanma last year, saying, &#8220;I tend to be pretty depressed,&#8221; and that he told him, &#8220;But I&#8217;ll do it without being discouraged.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> He even revealed that he was &#8220;on the verge of rotting&#8221; at the time, but it would have been impossible for him to talk this much if it had not been for Sanma, with whom he was so proud. This was the first time that Kimura mentioned the sexual assault issue, and it was a glimpse into the power of Sanma&#8217;s &#8220;interviewing ability.</span></p>
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<p>The next day, on &#8220;Sanma no Mamma SP&#8221; (Fuji Television), he brought out the news against Mao Inoue. It had been about seven years since Inoue appeared on the program. Because of the feeling that it had been a long time, Sanma began the program with a frank and blunt <span class="strongInContent">&#8220;Mao-chan, have you gotten married yet?</span> Inoue laughed and said, &#8220;That&#8217;s fine.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Inoue laughed and said, &#8220;I&#8217;ve almost got married many times on the Internet&#8230;&#8221; Although he did not mention any names, he teased the fact that the marriage theory with Jun Matsumoto, who has been reportedly in love with her, has become a topic of conversation on the Internet.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> He denied it, saying, &#8220;People often say &#8216;congratulations,&#8217; but there is nothing going on. Sanma reaffirmed that there was nothing, but Inoue denied it, saying, &#8220;Really, there is nothing. But I feel relieved.&#8221; Inoue even expressed his joy at being able to talk about the marriage theory for the first time. For many years, no one had been able to ask Inoue directly about his relationships with men, but here again, Sanma easily broke the taboo.</span></p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="There are also suspicions that he and Matsumoto do not get along. ......"></div>
<p>Currently, Sanma and Hitoshi Matsumoto are the two de facto giants of the TV world among Yoshimoto comedians. However, the December 27, 2011 issue of Shukan Bunshun (Weekly Bunshun) reported on Matsumoto&#8217;s alleged past sexual scandal. Yoshimoto denied the allegations, but on December 8, Matsumoto announced that he would suspend his activities for the time being in order to focus on his trial.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Matsumoto&#8217;s decision to stay away from the public stage has allowed him to remain active in &#8220;Odoru, Sanma Goten! Sanma Goten! (Nippon Television Network Corporation), and he is a &#8220;comedy monster&#8221; who can accurately tease guests and ensure that they get a laugh.</span></p>
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<p>In the first place, Sanma and Matsumoto are both prominent figures in their own right, and there have been reports of a &#8220;discord&#8221; between the two, the truth of which is unclear. Although Sanma has many &#8220;beloved comedians&#8221; such as Shoji Murakami, he has his own private office and is said to keep a certain distance from Yoshimoto. On the other hand, Matsumoto, who has several comedians close to him, including Koji Imada, Koji Higashino, and Yuichi Kimura, has an image as a &#8220;politically powerful figure&#8221; within Yoshimoto.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Many of his junior comedians believe that Matsumoto is a sharp comedian, but he is also politically powerful and scary, so they prefer him to Sanma, who is more open and easy-going and can be a fool.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> On the January 13 broadcast of MBS radio&#8217;s &#8220;MBS Young Town Saturday,&#8221; Sanma expressed his understanding of Matsumoto&#8217;s intention to focus on the trial, saying, &#8220;I think it&#8217;s largely for the sake of the children.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> He also revealed that he had told Yoshimoto&#8217;s president Akihiko Okamoto, &#8220;You&#8217;re going through a hard time,&#8221; without hesitation, reinforcing the impression that he is always there for him, no matter what he needs. With Matsumoto&#8217;s suspension, it seems that more and more comedians want to be in Sanma&#8217;s pocket.</span></p>
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<p>(Entertainment journalist) In light of this situation, some entertainment agencies have begun to express their desire to make their &#8220;first comments&#8221; after being hit by the scandal on Sanma&#8217;s show.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Both Kimutaku and Inoue were able to make their &#8220;major comments&#8221; without hesitation because they were talking to Sanma. The ability to create an atmosphere in which he can say things that get to the heart of the matter while joking is once again being praised among the celebrities. I have heard from several entertainment agencies that they would like to have him be the first to react on their shows if something happens to one of their talents.</span></p>
<p>Although nearly 70 years old, Sanma shows no signs of slowing down. It is possible that the balance of power in the comedy world will change as Matsumoto steps back from entertainment activities for a while.</p>
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Amazing ...... Sanma's &quot;divine response&quot;!"></div>
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<figure id="attachment_354032" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1459px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-354032"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="be9e23f6"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/01/337d7b4011c5af055cf54de48f10e070.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-354032" class="wp-caption-text">He also responds to commemorative photos with children (October &#8217;23).</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_354034" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3024px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-354034"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="13b7c540"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/01/71486744ff2b5af1e2a0f8f8e247f238.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-354034" class="wp-caption-text">He responded to autographs from fans one by one. This is a rare and divine response for a man as famous as Sanma (November &#8217;22).</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_354039" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1352px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-354039"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="64756f76"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/01/5580d312777b005597ea1c4c0ac28acb.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-354039" class="wp-caption-text">Kimutaku, who has never spoken about the sexual assault issue, also opened up (November 3, 2011 issue).</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_354036" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-354036"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b4c716bf"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/01/86587c5ed78f003f8b29bca169a3b98a.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-354036" class="wp-caption-text">Mao Inoue, who said she felt &#8220;refreshed. Photo shows Mao Inoue with Takeru Sato on location for the drama (January 20 and 27, 2011 issues).</figcaption></figure>
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 Kojiro Yamada (Kimutaku), Yusuke Kondo (Mao Inoue)

 Akashiya Sanma has been able to get scoops from Takuya Kimura and Mao Inoue on "San Taku" and "Sanma no Mamma," respectively, since the beginning of the New Year. Now that Matsumoto Hitoshi has declared his absence, his "amazing communicative ability" is attracting renewed attention.

Mao Inoue and Takuya Kimura’s Exclusive Announcement! Sanma Akashiya’s Exceptional Communication Skills Shine in New Year Special Program

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