“Is this the kind of office I’m supposed to be in?” Matsumoto Hitoshi’s dry response to plus-minus Iwahashi: “Yoshimoto’s seclusion” change

The “Weekly Bunshun” report on “Downtown” star Matsumoto Hitoshi has triggered a number of voices pointing out “changes” in Yoshimoto Kogyo.

It all started with the report of sexual coercion of Matsumoto, the “top” of Yoshimoto Kogyo. Matsumoto immediately announced legal action on the Yoshimoto Kogyo website after the first report by the Weekly Bunshun late last year.

However, when the second and third arrows were fired after that, Yoshimoto changed its stance to a more neutral one, emphasizing compliance and the eradication of various types of harassment. This position was apparently eliminated in a hurry, since Yoshimoto would be in a position to claim compensation from Matsumoto for damages to the company in the event that the Bunshun report turned out to be true.

Matsumoto then suspended his entertainment activities. He hired his own lawyer and filed a defamation suit against Bungei Shunju, the publisher of Bunshun. Yoshimoto was not named as a plaintiff.

Yoshimoto Kogyo is now not just a comedy company, but a large corporation that also does business with the government. Although it is natural for a company to hedge risks, there is still some concern among mid-career comedians of the “Matsumoto generation” and some young comedians who admire Downtown.

I thought for sure that Yoshimoto would fight with us.

Some even said, “I thought Yoshimoto and Matsumoto were going to fight together.

Yoshimasa Iwahashi of the comedy duo “Plus Minus”, who has been repeatedly making “disturbing posts” on X (formerly Twitter), was notified by Yoshimoto Kogyo of the termination of his contract as of March 22. Yoshimoto Kogyo said

As a management company, we have repeatedly conducted interviews with them and provided them with cautionary guidance. We initially met with Iwahashi on February 21, but immediately after that, he made a post that violated our warning and request.

The company explained, “We have decided that it is difficult to maintain our management contract any longer. In other words, he was “out of control. His partner, Takashi Kanemitsu, said that he had “never heard of this.

Then, fellow comedian Satoru Shirakawa of “Tenderer” told X

The breakup of Plus Minus Minus is absolutely unacceptable. Please let him rest for now.

He protested Yoshimoto’s one-sided measure. He continued

When I come back, I’ll do some more funny comedy, so much so that my seniors will be jealous of me. For now, I’m taking a break! Plus or minus is a break.

I’m taking a break from plus-minus.

Last year, Iwahashi divorced his wife of 14 years and separated from his children. He has also announced that he has obsessive-compulsive disorder, and many people were concerned about his “outbursts.

Yoshimoto is well aware of the situation. Yoshimoto is well aware of the situation, and I think they should have forced him to take a leave of absence before terminating his contract.

Among the comedians, the termination of Mr. Iwahashi’s contract was not a “matter of course” but rather a “why did this happen? Most of them say, ‘It’s a waste. As in the case of Mr. Matsumoto, more and more people have a cold image of Yoshimoto.

Yoshimoto is a “paradise” for comedians. The environment allows them to concentrate on comedy, and all of the comedians belonging to the company are very happy to work there.

All you have to do is think about what’s funny. The company culture is free and comfortable.

There were a lot of troublemakers at the company, but they were all included. There have been many problem children, but that is part of Yoshimoto Kogyo.

Recently, the term “Yoshimoto seclusion” has become a hot topic. The phrase “Yoshimoto’s theaters should be run by Yoshimoto performers only” has been interpreted in a broader sense and has become “no other companies.

But a decade ago, this would not have been possible. The purpose was to brighten Japan with laughter and raise the level of the comedy world as a whole. I honestly don’t remember this kind of office. That’s my honest impression.

Seiya of SHIMOFURI MYOJO talked about the “Yoshimoto seclusion” on his YouTube channel.

Seiya of “Shimobori Akusei” said on his YouTube channel about Yoshimoto’s “Yoshimoto seclusion. There isn’t much of a general ‘this is what we do’ attitude. (Yoshimoto) is free, to be honest. I don’t mean that it’s good or bad, but (Yoshimoto) has changed.

He said sincerely, “Employees are my family.

Yoshimoto Kogyo, where “employees are family,” may be changing.