Hitoshi Matsumoto’s Startling Revelation: I’m Unfamiliar with A-ko and B-ko, Unexpected Request for Names Unveils Contradiction

The first oral argument in the lawsuit filed by Downtown Hitoshi Matsumoto against Bungei Shunju, publisher of the weekly magazine Bunshun, was held at the Tokyo District Court on August 28. As expected by most, the first day of the trial ended in a speedy 5 minutes. Afterwards, representatives from both sides gave interviews to the media.

 

In court that day, Matsumoto’s side conveyed a request to clarify the identities of Ms. A and Mr. B, the two children who claimed victimization in the Bunshun article. Masahiro Tashiro, attorney representing Matsumoto’s side, explained the basis for this request.

The defendant says, The publication of an article stating that A-san and B-san were victims is defamation. In response, the defendant said, A-san, B-san and I went out for a drink together. Have you ever been together?, so it’s only natural to ask, Who are the A-san and B-san you’re talking about? You don’t know if you shared a bar with someone you didn’t know.

He commented, “I don’t know if I shared a drinking party with someone I don’t know. After asserting that Matsumoto had never forced her to engage in sexual acts.

Did you share a drinking party with him or her? I can’t answer this question unless I know who the other party is.

He reiterated the need for a confirmation of the identity of the other party. 

Attorney Yoichi Kitamura, representing the Bunshun side, responded

The plaintiffs are demanding that the names or stage names, addresses, dates of birth, mobile phone numbers, and LINE accounts of Ms. A and Ms. B be revealed.

(A-ko and others) have been harassed by threats of identifying their identities, and are still being harassed by comments such as ‘it’s a lie’ and ‘it’s for money.’ Isn’t it strange to ask for something like this?

I vehemently objected. 

Matsumoto’s tactics reminded me of the battle between former Japanese national team soccer player Junya Ito and the two women who confessed to him.

In an article in Shukan Shincho, two women confessed that they had been sexually assaulted by Ito. It was learned that a complaint had been filed with the Osaka Prefectural Police, and that it had been accepted.

In response, Ito withdrew from the Japan national team. With attorney Hirotaro Kato as his representative, he filed a lawsuit not against Shincho but against the two women, alleging false accusations and seeking 100 million yen in damages in a civil suit.

This was not the high road, but a rather aggressive approach. However, it is also true that it worked, and the winds surrounding Ito have changed. It is a way of putting pressure not on the media that reported the story, but on the woman’s side, in order to get her to drop the charges.

However, this naturally raises the question, Isn’t this a second rape? Furthermore, Matsumoto is clearly suing Bungei Shunju, and changing the target to Ms. A and Ms. B at this late stage may cause animosity.

Matsumoto’s side, which is reportedly struggling, intends to use all possible means to sway the judge, but there is a possibility that this may affect the judge’s verdict.

In the trial of actor Hirofumi Arai for forcible sexual intercourse in 2019, a female victim took the witness stand. The court took the woman’s privacy into consideration and referred to her as “Ms. A” to avoid identifying her by name, and a video link system was used to connect the courtroom and another room via video and audio.

That’s why the utmost care is being taken towards female victims.In addition to the global #MeToo movement, last year the crime was renamed to non consensual indecency and nonconsensual sexual intercourse and the requirements were clarified. Publishing the identity of the female victim! may have the opposite effect.

Matsumoto himself is already digging his own grave.

When some women’s magazines reported the contents of the thank-you LINE that Ms. A sent to Kazutaka Ozawa of Speedwagon on January 5th, Matsumoto quoted the article and said,

Matsumoto quoted the article and posted on X, “It’s finally out, isn’t it?

If you don’t know what the meaning of that LINE message is or which woman the message is from, you can’t say, It’s finally here. Some reports say that he had communicated with Ozawa beforehand. Yes. I don’t think the argument that Matsumoto’s agent claims, We don’t know who A-san and B-san are, doesn’t hold water..

Matsumoto’s post above drew a lot of backlash, mainly from women. In addition to that, the personal identification request was made this time. I hope there are no more voices saying “I’m disillusioned with Matsu-chan.”