Tamura Kenji Strongly Denies Matsumoto Hitoshi Problem

Discomfort with pin comedian Tamura Kenji’s argument is not right.

Tamura was treated as an attend comedian in a series of Bunshun reports surrounding “Downtown” Matsumoto Hitoshi. In response to this, on January 10th, during his radio show “Tamuraken is in LA!”, he discussed the attributes of drinking parties.

“In my perception, it’s like a mixer. The feeling of drinking together with women.”

And he clarified his stance.

However, on “Friday Digital,” explicit photos of Matsumoto with a woman were published, and once again, Tamura’s name came up as the person who was leading the scene.

It must have been quite difficult for him. Tamura sent an email to his close friend, the “Empress of the West,” Emiko Uenuma, regarding the content of which Uenuma discussed during the broadcast of “Uenuma/Takada no Kugizuke!” on Yomiuri Television on the 28th of last month.

“It’s not that he apologized or anything. He came saying, ‘My mental state is so messed up that I can’t even eat.'”

She revealed. With Tamura unable to eat due to stress, if a reporting trip came to America, Nunami proposed that they travel together.

“Apologize to them.”

And gave advice. 

However, In the radio program mentioned earlier on January 31st, Tamura addressed the series of reports.

“I contacted Mr. Matsumoto, and he acknowledged it, saying, ‘You can talk freely about it.'”

Tamura prefaced his remarks by saying, 

“I want to make it clear this time. The drinking parties we held in Osaka absolutely did not involve sexual entertainment, sex-for-promotion systems, or anything of that sort.”

He denied it completely. He continued.

“They’re writing as if we’re treating women as objects and exchanging them for promotions. That’s absolutely not the case.”

He emphasized. Regarding continued scrutiny from Bunshun,

“It’s not about Mr. Matsumoto fighting in court over whether there was such a gathering or being asked about his type during such an event.”

He continued

“I think the issue is whether there were forced sexual acts or not. However, I believe that this kind of reporting is leading in the wrong direction.”

He added his comments. And then,

 

“I hope they’ll work hard to gather evidence or conduct interviews regarding whether Mr. Matsumoto forced anything. I think it’s something that will be dealt with in court, but how long will they continue reporting on such a non-criminal drinking party? I have my doubts.”

He seemed unconvinced.

A grand speech that was far from the image of a man who had confided his woes to Nunami. However, there are a couple of points where Tamura seems to be greatly misunderstanding.

One of them is his assertion that “we never treated women as objects.”

A legal expert said,

“It’s up to the women to decide that. The women who came forward to Bunshun this time have mostly said they felt uncomfortable.”

He continued, 

“The details of the drinking parties, such as playing games to pair Matsumoto with women one-on-one, are nearly identical in the women’s testimonies. In the trial, these methods will also be scrutinized.”

He said.

The second was an order to Bunshun.

From the media’s perspective, “that’s your side of the story” is all it is.

Certainly, Matsumoto’s lawsuit against Bunshun has brought attention to whether there was sexual coercion, but from Bunshun’s perspective, that may just be the beginning and not the end.

Indeed, in the weekly issue of Bunshun published on the 1st, there was extensive coverage of the special relationship between Yoshimoto Kogyo, to which Matsumoto belongs, and the Osaka-Kansai Expo.

“Starting with Mr. Matsumoto’s case, the ‘sex-for-promotion system’ in the comedy world is beginning to come to light. If this becomes organized, the corporate culture of Yoshimoto Kogyo, which receives large contracts from the Expo, will be questioned.

This is because the expenses come from our tax money. The drinking parties that Tamura Kenji insisted were ‘not criminal or anything’ could become significant in the future.” (Sports newspaper reporter)

Tamura’s request, from a biased point of view

“Please stop exposing various drinking parties.”

It does sound like they’re saying, “Please stop exposing various drinking parties.”

“It is a fact that chaotic drinking parties have been held in the comedy world. Many comedians are now feeling uneasy due to the recent reports.

 

On the other hand, there are opinions questioning whether things that were considered safe in the past are now being deemed unacceptable. As one criterion, it ultimately comes down to whether women were treated as objects and felt uncomfortable.” (Same sports newspaper reporter)

The end point of the controversy is still far from sight.