Noriyuki Higashiyama & Yoshino Kimura “Big-name couple’s lightness and darkness” who go to the same gym, “Possibility of return to show business” revealed by Higashiyama.

Husband’s old Johnny’s compensation issue is at a standstill; wife to appear in TBS Sunday drama
Higashi was interviewed by this magazine at ……

Life goes on. Take care, bye-bye.”

The dinner show was held at a hotel in Tokyo on December 26 last year. Noriyuki Higashiyama (57), who was celebrating his last moment as a TV personality, told the assembled fans.

Three months have passed since Higashiyama retired from show business to concentrate on his work as president of “SMILE-UP.,” a company that provides compensation for sexual assault issues, which was renamed from Johnny’s.

When he was an idol, Higashiyama said he wanted to continue performing on stage until he was 90 years old. Since he decided to retire even after bending his beliefs, his passion for compensating the victims as president is extraordinary.

In contrast to Higashiyama, who has left the stage, his wife, actress Yoshino Kimura (47), has been increasing her activities.

She won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film for the movie “Kimi tachi wa doujiru kachi” (How Do You Live?), in which she acted as a voice actress, and is scheduled to appear as a prosecutor in the Sunday drama “Antihero” (TBS) starting in April.

It was an afternoon in mid-March when I saw Kimura. He was coming out of a large commercial facility in Tokyo with a large amount of luggage in his hands, which did not match his slender frame.

She was walking out of a large commercial facility in Tokyo, carrying a large amount of luggage that did not match her slender frame. Her husband, Higashiyama-san, also uses the same gym. We don’t come here together, but I often see them each working out. Higashiyama-san is retired, but he still works out as hard as he did when he was working out, so some people are wondering if he hasn’t given up on returning to the entertainment industry.

According to the announcement by “SMILE-UP.”, as of March 15, they have agreed on compensation with 320 people. However, there are still negotiations with more than 600 filers. A production company executive revealed.

A production company executive revealed, “Higashi has been avoiding public appearances as much as possible. The contents of the compensation and his own e-mails to the company were leaked one after another, and he is said to have been distrustful of people for a time. Perhaps that is why he usually avoids publicity.”

About a week after the encounter with Kimura, a person dressed all in black emerged from the same building. He was deeply hooded, as if he was worried about being seen, and only his eyes were visible. However, his cool eyes were just like those of Higashiyama himself. His eyes were slightly pale, and his body looked thinner than before. I asked him about the progress of compensation.

–Is there any progress in compensating the victims of the sexual assault problem?

Yes, progress is being made.

–Do you intend to return to show business?

No.

-And if you return to the entertainment industry after the compensation has been completely handled?

“First of all, I would like to make sure that compensation is properly handled.”

–I would like to hope that maybe.

‘No, no, that won’t happen.’

Higashiyama said, and got into the pickup truck that was parked next to us.

Kimura, who is increasing his exposure, and Higashiyama, who is staying in the background. The couple, who are divided into two sides, stoically face the difficult situation from their respective standpoints.

From the April 5 and 12, 2024 issue of FRIDAY