Experts Analyze Matsumoto Hitoshi’s Comment on Intent to Withdraw Lawsuit

No physical evidence

Matsumoto Hitoshi of Downtown withdrew a lawsuit seeking ¥550 million in damages and a correction article against Bungeishunju and others on November 8. On the same day, Matsumoto’s side released a comment through Yoshimoto Kogyo’s official website.

The comment began with:

“Mr. Matsumoto’s statement regarding the conclusion of this lawsuit is as follows:”

It then continued:

“After confirming, including the lack of direct material evidence to demonstrate coercion,”

and

“Matsumoto had previously attended meetings with women. If there were any women among the participants who felt discomforted or hurt, we sincerely apologize.”

However, this statement seems to have divided public opinion.

Some comments include:

“Since it says ‘if there were any,’ he’s not actually apologizing to the victims.”

“There’s no evidence, no financial transactions. Matsumoto wins.”

While others say:

“By apologizing in a hypothetical form like ‘if you felt uncomfortable,’ it doesn’t even count as an apology.”

“If there’s no ‘direct material evidence,’ then why withdraw the lawsuit? He should have fought the case.”

Many seem to think that Matsumoto is trying to protect himself, leading to heated debates on platforms like X and Yahoo comments, with strong mixed opinions.

 

Influence on future activities

“The comment from Matsumoto-san announced by Yoshimoto is not written with the subject ‘I’ as one would expect, but instead uses phrases like ‘regarding the content Matsumoto is suing over’ or ‘in Matsumoto’s case,’ which feels as though it was written by his lawyer or Yoshimoto. Normally, if someone were apologizing, they would comment with a signature. However, at the end of the document, only the lawyer’s name is listed. Matsumoto himself has not apologized in his own words, and it seems he may not truly think he did anything wrong. Given Matsumoto’s personality, it’s highly likely that he will return without holding a press conference, quietly resuming work. Despite this scandal causing some juniors to lose their jobs, he has been telling those around him that he ‘wants to get back to work quickly.’ Nevertheless, Matsumoto’s popularity is so high that he can likely make a comeback, and Yoshimoto will strongly support him” (Wide Na Show Desk).

What hidden intentions might be behind Matsumoto’s statement? Kenji Mori, a lawyer from ‘Mori Shinri Law Office’ who is experienced in civil litigation, analyzed the comment issued by Matsumoto’s side.

“From the confirmation that there is no direct material evidence to indicate coercion, it suggests that there may be indirect material evidence or testimony from witnesses that could be presented now or in the future. If the lawsuit had continued, it would likely have involved questioning the alleged victims, and in such a case, there may have been discussions that could affect Matsumoto’s future activities. It is possible that this led to the decision to withdraw the lawsuit.”

If the victims, such as Ms. A, had testified tearfully about sexual misconduct by Matsumoto, it could have caused significant damage to his career as a talent.

Without offering any explanation to the public, the lawsuit has ended. If Matsumoto is able to return as if nothing happened, it might be a highly satisfactory way out for him.