<figure id="attachment_452254" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-452254" style="width: 1522px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="e8c67c80"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/98ee0b7f723dd772a0585a955df869bd.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-452254" class="wp-caption-text">Fans and press gathered in front of the theater to see Arai return to work after an absence of almost seven years.</figcaption></figure>
<h2> Allies&#8221; gathered to see Arai return to work for the first time in seven years.</h2>
<p> It was a chilly evening on December 28. A strange tension, not unlike the calm atmosphere of the end of the year, was in the air in front of a small theater in Shimokitazawa.</p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<p> On that day, actor Hirofumi Arai (46) resumed his entertainment career by performing in a one-man show, &#8220;Japan vs. Me 2. However, despite his return to the stage after almost seven years of silence, the air surrounding the scene was heavy with tension.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Arai was arrested and charged with forcible sexual intercourse with a female employee of a dispatch massage parlor in February &#8217;19 and sentenced to four years in prison. He used to be a great by-play player indispensable in movies and dramas, but the reality of a sex crime was so grave that he was virtually banned from the scene. Although he has served his sentence, this time he was forced to return to work in a manner similar to a voluntary project. There is still harsh criticism on the Internet, and he is now back on the scene under &#8220;siege.</span></p>
<p> (Sports paper reporter) Because of this &#8220;controversial&#8221; situation, over 30 members of the press gathered in front of the theater. In addition, about 20 female fans, who had been eagerly awaiting his return, were waiting in the cold weather. One female fan, who was holding a piece of colored paper in her arms, expressed her feelings as follows: &#8220;I applied for a ticket.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I applied for a ticket but didn&#8217;t get it. I came here because I really wanted to see the show.</span></p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<p> When the curtain came down at 5:00 p.m., the voltage at the site rose dramatically. The audience began to descend one after another from the second floor of the venue, and the narrow street in front of the theater was jammed with nearly 100 people. Among them were actor Yoshiyoshi Arakawa (51), who was also mentioned as a daily guest, Kj (46) of &#8220;Dragon Ash,&#8221; and TV personality YOU (61), all of whom were probably there as spectators.</p>
<p> The &#8220;nightlife friends&#8221; and co-stars who used to go out for drinks rushed to see Arai&#8217;s fresh start, oblivious to the public&#8217;s perception of him.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Arai himself did not show up. ......"></div>
<h2>Blame is inevitable for the &#8220;incongruous response.&#8221;</h2>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> &#8220;Please open the way for a car to pass!　Get out of the way!&#8221;</span></p>
<p> The management staff shouted out in front of the crowd. The media, the fans, and the exiting spectators were all in a flurry of activity, and everyone in the press corps held their cameras ready for Arai to come out at last.</p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<p> &#8211;But even as the crowd dispersed and the celebrities faded from view, the key star of the show did not appear. As a strange hush began to settle over the room, a staff member announced unceremoniously, &#8220;Arai has already left.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Arai has already left.&#8221;</span></p>
<p> The press, who had been standing by the front exit, started to ask, &#8220;What? When did he leave? and &#8220;When did this happen? It was as if Arai had been &#8220;hidden by the gods&#8221; as he left the theater. The scene of the long wait was filled with obvious dissatisfaction. One reporter was not satisfied with this exit.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> If you left, you have to explain where you left from. &#8230;&#8230; As long as there is a possibility that we are in there, we have no choice but to stay here.</span></p>
<p> Another reporter tilted his head as he looked up at the building&#8217;s structure.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> There doesn&#8217;t seem to be an exit in the back, and it&#8217;s very unlikely that they left from anywhere else.&#8221;</span></p>
<p> Arai on his &#8220;X&#8221; (formerly Twitter) on the eve of his return,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> &#8220;Tomorrow, I&#8217;ll be available for pictures and autographs as much as I can when I have time.</span></p>
<p> He was positive about fan service. However, when the lid was opened, he went home &#8220;stealth,&#8221; completely shutting out the fans and the press who had been waiting for him clutching his colorful paper. One person involved in the stage industry took a hard look at the situation.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> One stage professional commented harshly, &#8220;The way she handled the situation this time may raise doubts about her &#8216;resolve&#8217; to return to acting. Since he is labeled as a sex offender, it is hopeless for him to return to terrestrial broadcasting or major films, and the only place he can survive is in small theaters like this one. He is grateful for the support of his fans and friends, but the public&#8217;s view of him remains harsh. It is no wonder that he has been criticized as &#8220;an unrepentant, inward-looking person. I must say that the road to a true revival is still far from over.</span></p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<p> Aside from the press, who had been waiting for the event as part of their job, it was the fans who were not satisfied with the news. Even after being told by the staff that they had returned home, the women continued to stare at the theater in amazement for hours, clutching their colored papers with gnawing hands, their backs filled with a sense of hopelessness.</p>
<p> After the incident, even though they exposed their &#8220;me&#8221; on stage, were they not yet prepared for the harsh questions they would be asked in the real world under the flash of the cameras?</p>
<p> On his first day back on stage, with the media, fans, and many of his friends watching him, all that was left under the cold sky was an &#8220;escape act&#8221; that showed no sign of the seven-year blank.</p>
<figure id="attachment_452271" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-452271" style="width: 2035px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="cc7ea6a9"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/2ebf6f6439f08540b211487534810559.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-452271" class="wp-caption-text"> Hirofumi Arai at the 28th Tokyo International Film Festival in 2003.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_452334" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-452334" style="width: 1305px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="e31fc3cd"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/061d2d41f20ead30308d5e634ce594ad.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-452334" class="wp-caption-text"> Fans and the media were tense as they questioned the theater staff.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_452258" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-452258" style="width: 1418px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="baac530a"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/2a638943d5fbb59fd28623d21f0542a1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-452258" class="wp-caption-text"> The TV personality YOU was also present.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_452257" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-452257" style="width: 1246px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="d0f797da"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/ade89e029615c2fdf17e757b7f41d07e.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-452257" class="wp-caption-text"> Like Arai, Yoshiyoshi Arakawa, who is scheduled to appear as a daily guest, was also there.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_452256" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-452256" style="width: 1567px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="0dc9843f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/637b3279186c5149c011f595ff1cfbca.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-452256" class="wp-caption-text"> The theater in Shimokitazawa, the site of his comeback.</figcaption></figure>


 Shu Nishihara

 Actor Hirofumi Arai has returned to work for the first time in seven years since his arrest in 2007. A total of about 50 fans and reporters were waiting in front of the theater in Tokyo, the site of his comeback. However, Arai himself was too ruthless to return home "stealthily.

Actor Hirofumi Arai &#8220;stealthily returned home&#8221; after completely ignoring fans and the press&#8230; Some pointed out that he was &#8220;not prepared enough&#8221; for the restart.

Actor Hirofumi Arai “stealthily returned home” after completely ignoring fans and the press… Some pointed out that he was “not prepared enough” for the restart.

Access Ranking