“I’m too scared to use it…” The “Industry Taboo” Committed by Sugiyama of the Trio “Wagaie” and Tsuzuki of “4000 Heads”

Shoplifting groceries worth 1,189 yen

Hiroyuki Sugiyama (49) of “Wagaya” and Takuki Tsuzuki (29) of “4000 Heads” are likely to face a critical juncture as the year comes to a close.

Both are members of comedy trios and are signed to the long-established agency “Watanabe Entertainment.”The former was referred by the Meguro Police Station of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on October 14 on suspicion of theft for shoplifting seven food items, including wieners (totaling 1,189 yen), from a supermarket in Meguro Ward, Tokyo, around 1:20 p.m. on September 15. During questioning,

“I was anxious because my income was low, so I wanted to save the money I had on hand,”

during questioning.

“Wagaya” was formed in 2003 and is now in its 24th year.The group consists of Sugiyama, Yoshiyuki Tsubokura (49), and Shun Tanabe (48), and reached the peak of its popularity around 2009–2010, when the Fuji TV series “Bakusho Red Theater” was airing. It is said that their monthly income sometimes reached as high as 6 million yen at that time.

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that Tsuzuki was referred to prosecutors on August 18 on suspicion of violating the Tokyo Metropolitan Nuisance Prevention Ordinance. He is accused of touching the face of a woman in her 20s whom he did not know and groping her lower body over her skirt at a music event venue he visited with friends late at night in late June. During questioning, Tsuzuki

“I had been drinking at the time,”

“I deeply regret it,”

. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department had been investigating the case after receiving a complaint from the woman in July.

“Yonzen Toshinshin” was formed in 2016 and advanced to the semifinals of the 15th “M-1 Grand Prix” in 2019. They were active as part of the “7th Generation of Comedy,” a term referring to young comedians who rose to fame in the late 2010s.

In December 2022, Tsuzuki also launched the fashion brand “HIROKI TSUZUKI.” With 130,000 Instagram followers, he was considered a leading figure among “fashionable comedians.”

Both Sugiyama and Tsuzuki have been involved in incidents requiring police intervention and are currently on hiatus. While their future disciplinary actions have not been disclosed, an executive at their talent agency told this website:

“It will be difficult for either of them to make a comeback,”

. Regarding the reason,

“The biggest problem is that they failed to report the incident to their agencies,” (the same entertainment agency executive)

.

“Why Did They Keep Hiring Him?”

Sugiyama’s shoplifting incident made the news one month later, and his agency reportedly learned the facts of the case for the first time then. Until the incident came to light, Sugiyama had continued working, including serving as the MC at a comedy show held at a shopping center in Fukuoka City in late September.

In Tsuzuki’s case as well, his agency only learned of the incident—which occurred in late June—just before it was reported in the media. Tsuzuki had been set to launch a collaborative product between his own brand and Orion Beer, but the launch was canceled in the wake of the incident. A television network official commented:

“Put yourself in the shoes of the employers. If someone ‘screwed up,’ and they’d just let us know right away through their agency, we could minimize the damage. But if they don’t tell anyone they’ve ‘screwed up’ and just carry on with their work as if nothing happened, by the time it comes to light, it’s irreversible.Ongoing projects get scrapped, and if they’ve appeared on a show, it has to be edited out. We’re the ones who get slammed by the public with questions like, ‘Why did you keep casting them?’ In short, we’re too scared to use them anymore.”

It’s common knowledge that the relationship between a talent and their agency is built on trust.

Kuruma Takahira (32) of “Reiwa Roman,” the first act in history to win the M-1 Grand Prix two years in a row, was terminated by Yoshimoto Kogyo last April after he unilaterally uploaded an apology video regarding an online casino scandal.Actress Nana Katase (44) was forced to leave her agency at the end of September 2021 after her live-in partner was arrested for drug possession; although she had undergone a urine test herself, she failed to inform the agency.

In light of these precedents, as the entertainment agency executive mentioned earlier, the situation for both Sugiyama and Tsuzuki will be “severe.”

“With Tsuzuki and Sugiyama both providing ‘after-the-fact reports’ in quick succession, the ‘reputation’ of their agency has been tarnished. Since they’re a trio, they’ll need to discuss this with the remaining members, but I suspect the agency’s stance is already set. I’ve heard through the grapevine that they’re moving toward announcing a dual decision before the end of the year,” said the entertainment agency executive mentioned earlier.

This underscores the need for renewed efforts to improve compliance awareness.