Arashi’s Jun Matsumoto, starring in a new drama, is concerned about the timing of his marriage

It was past six o’clock in the evening in early December, and the sun had already set. At an intersection near Tokyo’s Hikarigaoka Station (Nerima Ward), the sidewalks and pedestrian bridges were filled with galleries of people trying to catch a glimpse of a certain star. It was a location shooting for the TV drama “Tonari no Chikara” (TV Asahi) starring Matsumoto Jun (38).

They were filming a scene in which the main character, Jun Fubuki (69), who plays a neighbor, crosses a crosswalk carrying Fubuki on her back. Matsumoto was carrying Fubuki on his back and smiling throughout the many cuts of filming.

After the hiatus of “Arashi” last year, Matsumoto had the least exposure except for Satoshi Ohno (41), who is on a break from performing, but he restarted this fall.

He has been on a break from performing since his hiatus from Arashi, but he is back on the scene this fall. He will also be filming NHK’s 2011 historical drama “What’s up Ieyasu”, so he will probably be busy with his acting career for the time being,” said a production company staff member.

Matsumoto is also known for directing the concerts of “Arashi”. He is also known to have directed the concerts of “Arashi”, and his know-how was handed down directly from the late Janie Kitagawa, and there was even a suggestion that after the group’s hiatus, he would focus solely on working behind the scenes.

On December 30th, a major event called “Johnny’s Festival” will be held at the Tokyo Dome, and it will be the first time that the entire office, including 71 members from 13 groups, will hold a concert other than the annual countdown on New Year’s Eve. Matsumoto will be in charge of the overall direction. The fact that Matsumoto has been chosen to direct the concert in the midst of so many other Japanese companies who are involved in stage direction, such as Hideaki Takizawa (39), vice president of the company, and Koichi Domoto (42) of the KinKi Kids, shows the high expectations that are placed on him.

Everything is going smoothly for Matsumoto in terms of work, but his marriage is still a concern. In the past, he was a member of a group called “Arashi,” which is a Japanese TV show that aired in 2005. I wonder how his relationship with Mao Inoue (34), who has been rumored to be with him since they appeared together in “Boys Over Flowers” (TBS) in 2005, is going.

Unfortunately, it seems that they have completely broken up. Inoue is co-starring with Shigeaki Kato (34) of NEWS in this season’s Nippon TV drama “February Winner”. In fact, since the secret meeting was photographed by Friday in ’14, Johnny’s talents and Inoue were not allowed to perform together. It is widely believed that the fact that they were able to perform together this time is proof that their relationship with Matsujun is completely over. Furthermore, this year, when Matsujun took a vacation, he went abroad alone, and there was no sign of Inoue.

MJ is very busy as an actor and stage director, and it looks like marriage will be a long time coming.

From “FRIDAY” December 24, 2021 issue