Osaka Comedian Don Nakata Kaus Addresses Matsumoto Hitoshi Problem and Criticisms

Making Osaki as president was a mistake.

In the press conference regarding the dark business problem, Nakata claims that Matsumoto and Daizaki were the ones quietly demanding it behind the scenes.

“We won’t know if President Okamoto and Daizaki severed ties during that press conference unless we ask them personally, but the fact remains that Daizaki used President Okamoto as a ‘sacrificial pawn,’ right? It’s only natural for the top executive to take responsibility, or even for Daizaki to join the press conference. It’s strange to have only President Okamoto, who has no experience, take the spotlight. During Yoshimoto Kogyo’s ‘110th Anniversary party in Osaka, a comedian hosting the event brought up the topic of dark business with President Okamoto. I, on behalf of President Okamoto, said, ‘President Okamoto did an excellent job at that press conference. That press conference should have been handled by Daizaki.’ The audience responded with, ‘That’s right, that’s right!'”

Continuing his criticism of Daizaki, Nakata also mentioned during the interview, “Shinsuke Shimada was also crushed by Daizaki.” However, Nakata also recalls a time when he cooperated with Daizaki. It was during the family turmoil at Yoshimoto in 2007, when the founding family and management clashed.

“At that time, I had dinner with Daizaki once. Daizaki asked, ‘Do you think I can become the president?’ I replied, ‘If you want to become president, I want you to do your best, and I’ll help you.’ At that time, Isao Yoshino was the primary candidate, a gentle person. I thought, ‘It would be good if Yoshino-san became president first, and then Daizaki.’ So, I worked hard behind the scenes to support them. Yoshino-san became president, and Daizaki became the top contender for vice president. On the day the vice president appointment was decided, Daizaki kept calling me from morning till night, asking, ‘How did it go? How did it go?’ In the end, Daizaki became the vice president, and then he became the president. The biggest mistake in my 57 years as a Yoshimoto comedian was making Daizaki the president.”

Nakata asserts that pushing for Daizaki’s presidency was his biggest mistake while also expressing hope for President Okamoto’s future.

“During the dark business incident, President Okamoto suffered such humiliation. President Okamoto is a person of integrity who would consider taking responsibility and resigning. That’s why I carefully conveyed to him, ‘If you are prepared to take responsibility and resign, please continue to serve as president for the sake of Yoshimoto Kogyo’s future.’ I hope he will protect the company with that mindset, and I have expectations for President Okamoto.”

Another topic Nakata discussed in the FRIDAY interview was the “Yoshimoto isolation incident.” It started in January of this year when several comedians affiliated with Yoshimoto Kogyo posted on social media that they were no longer allowed to invite comedians from other agencies to Yoshimoto-sponsored live shows. This led to the trend of “Yoshimoto isolation.” There is information that Nakata was actually involved in this series of events, and he was questioned about it.

“Ten years ago, I was allowed to create the ‘Yoshimoto Manzai Theater,’ which specialized in young comedians. The young comedians compete for slots in that theater. If there’s no competition, comedians won’t improve. It’s not right to be immature; I’m saying they shouldn’t fool around with comedians from other agencies. It’s okay to hang out with them outside of work. But the young comedians are fighting desperately to perform on the stage of the Manzai Theater. Amidst that, if comedians from other agencies come and go, it disrupts the serious competition environment for young comedians at the theater.”