Why the Delay? Active Idol Explains Why She Revealed Her Relationship with a Top Star to the Press

A delayed accusation made years later

In recent years, cases have become increasingly common in entertainment news where the general public reacts with criticism such as “Why now?” or “You should have gone to the police right away.”

These reactions often arise when, months or even years after an incident occurred, a person identified as a victim agrees to be interviewed by a weekly magazine. When the alleged victim is a well-known public figure, it can even lead to excessive online backlash against them.

The ongoing manga series “Tokyo Girls Encyclopedia: Ordinary Isn’t Enough for Us,” published on the website Kurage Bunch (Shinchosha), vividly depicts the behind-the-scenes realities of such entertainment-world stories.

According to the manga’s original writer, entertainment journalist Bea Abe, the overall framework of the story was built through interviews and exchanges with an active idol, Yui Honda (pseudonym), who had long been one of his information sources. Abe says that many of the detailed episodes and story developments are based on real experiences.

The two sat down for a discussion about the behind-the-scenes of a story centered on a woman betrayed by her idol boyfriend who turns to a weekly magazine—a setting that mirrors the world of such publications.

A few years ago, Yui herself revealed information to a weekly magazine about her relationship with a famous male idol. The reporter in charge of that story was Abe, and the raw atmosphere from that time is reflected in “Tokyo Girls.” In this forbidden conversation, they delve into the mindset of those who make these much-debated delayed accusations.

Bea Abe (hereafter Abe): Thank you for joining me today. We’re tackling a somewhat difficult topic—information sources and their intentions—but I’d like to get as close to the reality as possible without revealing your identity. First, this seemingly impossible combination of idols and weekly magazines—is this kind of pairing common outside of our experience?

Yui Honda (hereafter Yui): I feel like bad girl idols like us often try to build connections with media people or influencers—anyone who can disseminate information. The idol world is full of people pulling each other down, so having a powerful ally who will back you up in a pinch is really reassuring.

Abe: That’s certainly interesting, but let’s get to the main topic. While it’s flattering to be relied upon, I also maintain a constant sense of caution: “Are they exaggerating?” or “Are they lying?” Even if the article seems fine at the time, if it later goes to court, there’s no excuse for insufficient fact-checking.

Yui: The reason I came to trust you, Abe, was related to an incident a bit different from the episodes in the manga—it involved my relationship with a top idol. Do you remember?

Abe: Of course. That made quite a bit of news. I’m very grateful for your cooperation back then… though that was also a case where several years had passed since the incident occurred.

Yui: Yes. If it happened now, I feel like I would be immediately identified and subjected to severe backlash.

I wonder if there are other girls who were hurt besides me

Bea Abe: I really feel things have changed drastically over the past year or two. Today, I’d like to dig deeper into what made you, Yui, decide that you wanted this reported, and what motivated you—of course, only as far as you can share without being identified.

Yui Honda: Okay. I do consider myself a victim in a sense, but at the time of the incident, I didn’t think that way at all. It was only after reflecting on the other person that I realized, “Wow, this person did something really outrageous.” Even when I mentioned it to my idol friends, they’d say, “Isn’t that weekly magazine material?”

Abe: So you were talking it over with people around you.

Yui: Right, keeping it all to myself was really tough. But I didn’t act immediately because I was definitely afraid of being identified. I’m not as famous as the other person, but I’m still an idol, after all.

Abe: So you were thinking about your own position before his.

Yui: Exactly. Even after I met you, Abe, and talked about it, I wasn’t thinking yet about having it published.

Abe: I see. But ultimately, the incident came to light, and the male side faced some consequences. Was there a particular moment that made you think, “I should have this reported”?

Yui: Quite a lot of time had passed, and there were things I couldn’t even fully remember myself, so I thought, “Maybe it’s okay now.” I think he probably knew it was me anyway, but I don’t know his contact info, and even if he found out, he couldn’t really do anything.

And as I went through the interview, I gradually thought, “I wonder if there are other girls who have gone through this too.” That made me feel even more that what he did was unforgivable.

Abe: I understand. It was certainly a challenge to track down details you couldn’t remember and piece everything together for the story.

Yui: Going through your interview, Abe, I was surprised at how persistent you were with questions. Asking about the weather that day, what I was wearing… I kept thinking, “What does this have to do with the article?”

Abe: I’ll admit now, I didn’t fully trust you from the start. If later something turned out to be wrong, I needed to determine whether it was just a misunderstanding or an intentional lie—otherwise, we couldn’t publish the article.

Yui: Reporters are scary… But I think it was good that you handled it so carefully.

I still feel a little guilty even now

Bea Abe: If you could go back to that time, do you think you would still have agreed to the interview?

Yui Honda: Hmm, honestly, it’s hard to say. I happened to avoid being identified, but if even one step went wrong, it could have been a total disaster—basically, getting expelled from the entertainment industry.

Abe: You can’t completely rule out that possibility, can you?

Yui: Exactly. I think you really can’t know until you’re in that moment. He was in a very energetic, high-spirited mood, and I was going through some personal turmoil and felt a little reckless. Also, I won’t deny that the payment pushed me forward. Honestly, I thought, “This could actually earn me money.”

Abe: After all, you were providing information.

Yui: At first, I did feel guilty, like, “This is going to be published.” And, well, I still feel a little guilty even now.

Abe: But you wouldn’t have done it without the payment?

Yui: …I think not. But the common criticism that it was “for the money” is absolutely wrong.

Abe: So it was just one factor among others. Certainly, if you weigh the risk of being exposed and ruined, the amount offered doesn’t really match that risk.

Yui: Exactly. It’s really not about the money. If it had been hundreds of thousands of yen, then maybe the conversation would be a little different.

Abe: If we paid that much, we’d be in the red (laughs). I understand that many people think it was a high payment, but it’s really just travel expenses plus a small fee for the effort, right?

Yui: That’s why my honest feeling is, “There’s no way I would do it for such a pittance!” I understand why people criticize it, but that’s really not the main point.

Bea Abe: I suppose the passage of time itself is one of the reasons people criticize these cases.

Yui Honda: I understand how, from an outsider’s point of view, it can look like, “She enjoyed it back then but sold the story later because she needed money.” Actually, that’s what people say about everything these days.

Abe: I finished writing the original story at the end of 2023—almost two years ago now—but around that time, it felt like these stories from years ago started to draw a lot of backlash online.

Yui: From our side, though, it’s never something done intentionally. I think it’s really that various circumstances pile up, and the result is that the revelation happens years later.

Behind-the-Scenes Stories of a Famous Female Idol

Bea Abe: Understood. So, could you tell me a bit about that story you mentioned earlier—the one involving an idol and a reporter?

Yui Honda: Well, since this is sort of an insider story, I can’t go into too much detail, but there was a famous female idol—at the level of performing at Budokan, no less—whose private life was about to be featured in a weekly magazine. She got help from another magazine reporter. And no, it wasn’t FRIDAY.

Abe: That’s quite something. How exactly did it happen?

Yui: That reporter apparently negotiated, saying something like, “If you don’t write about her, I’ll give you a scoop on another famous idol.” In the end, the story still got published, though.

Abe: So even her connection with the reporter got exposed. That must have been rough for her.

Yui: No, she’s still active on the frontlines today.

Abe: Really.

Yui: I really don’t like selling out others, so please make sure her identity stays completely anonymous (laughs).