Kazuhiro Ozawa’s Testimony Takes Center Stage Over Glamour in Matsumoto Hitoshi’s Trial

The first oral argument between “Downtown” Matsumoto Hitoshi and Bungeishunju, the publisher of Weekly Bunshun, is approaching on March 28th.

 

At the end of last year, Weekly Bunshun reported allegations of sexual coercion against Matsumoto. As the new year began, Bunshun continued to publish further reports, and at this point, 11 people have provided testimony related to Matsumoto. Matsumoto suspended his activities on January 8th to focus on the trial and filed a lawsuit seeking 550 million yen in damages against Bungeishunju.

 

“Lately, Bunshun has refrained from reporting new information about Matsumoto, but it seems they will intensify their offensive again around the time of the first oral argument. Additionally, they seem to plan on reporting further on the ‘contributions system,’ which comedians belonging to the ‘Matsumoto faction’ deny.” (Sports newspaper reporter)

 

Comedians previously mentioned as part of the “Matsumoto faction,” who have been reported to have accompanied women on behalf of Matsumoto, include solo comedian Kenji Tamura, Speedwagon’s Kazuhiro Ozawa, Punk Boo Boo’s Jun Kurose, and Crossbar Direct Hit’s Sensei Watanabe. Additionally, joining as a new member of the support team is sexy actress Runa Shimotsuki.

On her personal X, Shimotsuki stated:

“I can’t forgive the content of those articles full of lies regarding Mr. Matsumoto Hitoshi, so I’m going to write about it.”

 

“I was attending a drinking party at The Ritz-Carlton in Osaka. The gal-like AV actress mentioned in the article is me,” 

 

She confessed. Gravure idol J, who was described as meeting for the first time in Bunshun, is an acquaintance of Shimotsuki, she denied the contents of Bunshun’s article, such as not having heard Matsumoto’s name beforehand, there were no prohibitions or confiscations of cell phones.

Shimotsuki continued,

“When I saw such a nonsensical article, I couldn’t keep quiet. I love Matsumoto Hitoshi, and I want him to continue to thrive and be saved. If my words can be of any significance, I thought it would be good to write this now.”

 

“When I heard Shimotsuki’s name, I was surprised. She’s the one who came soliciting before, asking if we wouldn’t cover the incident with a male idol. She had a wide circle of acquaintances even then and was actively moving around,” said a publishing industry insider.

 

Shimotsuki has shown enthusiasm for testifying in Matsumoto’s trial, and there are voices online supporting her, but “Daiso” Matsumoto has not broken his stance of remaining silent.

 

“At the present time, the subject of the lawsuit is not about The Ritz-Carlton in Osaka, but about The Ritz-Carlton in Tokyo as reported in Bunshun’s initial report. In the former, it was reported that it was not Shimotsuki or J, but another woman who was alone with Matsumoto, and what happened next was not written.

 

It’s honestly questionable whether the court will accept Shimotsuki’s testimony as evidence, and above all, whether Matsumoto’s side will rely on Shimotsuki. Struggling to gather evidence to prove his innocence, in other words, there is also the possibility that Bunshun’s side may look down on them,” said the aforementioned sports newspaper reporter.

 

In that case, the key would still be Speedwagon’s Kazuhiro Ozawa, who appeared in Bunshun’s initial report. However, shocked by the series of reports, he is currently on hiatus from his entertainment activities. According to the reporter mentioned earlier, 

 

“He blames himself for pushing Matsumoto to suspend his activities. His surroundings are supporting him, but he himself is exhausted, and at this point, he is not ready for the trial.”

 

If questioning of the person himself or witnesses is to be conducted in the trial, it would be around the end. There is also a possibility of crossing over into the next year. Until then, how much recovery Ozawa will achieve in mind and body will likely have a significant impact on Matsumoto’s trial.