Monta Mino’s Extravagant Lifestyle: “Use That Card However You Like,”

The truth about his one and only alleged affair during his lifetime

The late Monta Mino (aged 80) was often in the news for his lavish lifestyle at luxury clubs in Ginza and Roppongi, and it was reported that he gifted a woman he was dating in Ginza a ¥150 million apartment during his later years. However, during his career, there were surprisingly few scandalous reports about him, despite his flamboyant image.

Mino was only involved in one reported affair scandal in his lifetime. In 1991, FRIDAY magazine reported on an alleged affair with a female assistant from the TV show Afternoon Full Throttle TV (Nippon TV), where Mino was the host.

I was in charge of the interview at the time, and decided to wait at the Nippon TV entrance to confront Mino. After the show ended, Mino emerged from the entrance, being seen off by his staff, and was about to get into his car. When I approached him and said:

“We’re from FRIDAY.”

For some reason, Mino smiled and said:

“What? I’ll hear you out in the car, come on in.”

He grabbed my arm and pulled me into the car, which then drove off. As I sat beside him and explained the situation, Mino neither confirmed nor denied the allegations. Instead, he responded:

“When a man sees a beautiful woman nearby, he thinks, ‘It would be nice to get to know her better,’ right? Don’t you feel that way sometimes?”

I could only reply:

“Yes, I do.”

Mino then became serious and said:

“But, you know, things don’t always go the way you want. That’s just how the world works.”

I couldn’t find anything to say in response, and somehow I felt convinced by his cryptic explanation.

Later, in an interview with a sports newspaper, Mino firmly denied the affair, saying:

“I’m fine with it, but I have to think about the woman involved.”

Looking back, it might have just been a one-sided situation from Mino’s perspective.

I was more concerned about where the car was taking me, so I asked,

“Where are we going?”

He replied,

“I’m going home. Let’s talk a little more. You can return in this car, can’t you?”

I almost ended up being taken all the way to his home in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture (at the time).