From “close friend” Nippon TV to “banned” TV Asahi, Hitoshi Matsumoto’s “relationship with each station” and “the reality of his return to terrestrial broadcasting” at the end of the trial.

The end of the trial leaves a sense of “uncertainty

There has been a major development in the trial of Hitoshi Matsumoto (61) over allegations of sexual assault.

On November 8, he withdrew his lawsuit against Bungei Shunju and others seeking 550 million yen in damages and the publication of a corrected article. On the same day, Matsumoto released a comment. In the comment, Matsumoto confirmed that “there is no direct physical evidence of coercion in the content of the lawsuit,” and apologized “frankly for any discomfort or distress caused to any of the women who participated in the event.

The withdrawal of the lawsuit requires the other party’s (Bunshun’s) consent. In other words, Mr. Matsumoto asked for the withdrawal of the lawsuit, and Bunshun agreed. However, the side that tried to pull back the curtain There are many ambiguous points in Mr. Matsumoto’s comments. The part that says ‘there is no physical evidence directly indicating the existence of coercion’ is clear, but most of the rest remains opaque” (Kunitake Kawanishi, attorney at law, Ray Law Offices).

Originally, the second argument procedure was scheduled to be held on November 11, earlier in the week. However, prior to that hearing, Matsumoto made an offer to Bungei Shunju, and settlement negotiations have been underway. We asked Yoshimoto Kogyo, the company to which Matsumoto belongs, for an interview about the withdrawal of the lawsuit,

The Matsumoto trial was concluded after discussions between the plaintiff and the defendant. Since no money was exchanged, the case was not settled, but rather resolved through discussion.

The court responded, “Originally, Mr. Matsumoto’s side was the only one who had the right to sue.

“Originally, Ms. Matsumoto’s side filed the lawsuit to have the court deny the veracity of the Bunshun article. They also sought other claims for damages and an apology from Bunshunju. However, nothing was accomplished about them, and the trial was brought to an end. This means that ‘Mr. Matsumoto has I think it is no wonder that it is seen as ‘Mr. Matsumoto has given up. (Lawyer Kawanishi, same as above).

Distance from Commercial Broadcasting Stations” after the Disturbance

The “Matsumoto trial” has taken a sudden turn. A key station official lamented the withdrawal of the lawsuit, saying, “Now Matsumoto’s path to a return to terrestrial broadcasting has become much more difficult.

Matsumoto said, ‘There is no evidence of coercion,’ but he admitted to participating in drinking parties and apologized for his behavior. Simply issuing a declaration of termination was not enough to restore the damaged image. That would be too risky to use in today’s compliance-oriented world. It would be different if at least a press conference was held or some other explanation was given directly from Mr. Matsumoto’s mouth without any concealment. ……”

Although the trial itself has been concluded, it does not seem to be immediately linked to the resumption of his entertainment activities. In fact, the relationship between Matsumoto and the TV stations that used to be his main battleground has changed during the “10 months of blank period” during which he suspended his entertainment activities.

The distance between Matsumoto and TV Asahi, which has always teased him with “banned material,” has remained distant and unchanged. Fuji Television is also unlikely to make a public announcement of his return to the station, given his experience of being heavily bashed for his appearance on the “Widener Show” in January of this year.

NTV is the key station that has been the closest to him. The closest of the key stations is NTV, which has been the most distant from the show, with its “Downtown’s Gaki no Tsukasa ya Aarente! The man behind such series as “Downtown no Gaki no Tsukashiya Arahende!” is the “Don of NTV’s Variety” who served as executive officer. It is well known that every year around Golden Week, he makes a “pilgrimage to Matsumoto” for the revival of the year-end “Gaki Toshi” special, and the relationship between the two is good. TBS, which retained its signature programs such as “Wednesday’s Downtown” even after the riots, will probably remain close to Matsumoto.

However, as for whether he will be able to return to terrestrial broadcasting at Nippon TV or TBS, with which he has a good relationship, the chances are not high, as he said earlier: “It will be difficult,” he said.

It will be difficult. While the facts were still unclear, Matsumoto unilaterally announced his suspension and dropped out of the program. Naturally, this has inconvenienced the program side. Realistically speaking, the first step would be to start with a distribution service. The candidates would be “Documental,” for which Matsumoto serves as producer, and “Freeze” (Amazon Prime Video),” said a source at a key station.

Although he has reached a milestone, he still has a long way to go before he can return to show business.