TKO Takehiro Kimoto’s Apology Press Conference Still Raised Brows!

The investment troubles of Takehiro Kimoto of the comedy duo “TKO” have been attracting a lot of attention. Kimoto left Shochiku Entertainments on July 23rd, after being involved in troubles totaling over 700 million yen. The programs in which he appeared were terminated or replaced.

About two years ago, Kimoto was approached by Mr. A, whom he met through an acquaintance, to invest in FX trading (foreign exchange margin trading) and real estate-related investments. Although things were going well at first, around the end of last year he became unable to contact Mr. A and was unable to make any refunds.

Two years ago was just when the new coronavirus infection began to spread. According to a person involved in the comedy industry

“The future of comedians was uncertain, and Mr. Kimoto introduced Mr. A to about 10 of his comedian friends who were worried about his future. He claims that he did so out of the goodness of his heart.”

The source said, “Mr. A is a good-hearted person.”

However, it was discovered that Mr. A was not registered as a financial instruments business operator, which is required when advising, managing, or brokering investments. Kimoto was unaware of this, but it is the minimum level of knowledge required to make recommendations to others, and it also reveals sloppiness.

The amount of damage to each comedian ranges from several hundred thousand yen to tens of millions of yen. Among them, Takashi Yoshimura of the comedy duo Heisei Nobushi Kobushi, who is said to have suffered an estimated 50 million yen in damages, said in a program in which he appeared

“I’m just saying that I got greedy,” he said on his TV show.

He emphasized that “investment is one’s own responsibility,” and told Kimoto, “(My partner) Mr. Kinoshita is a good friend of mine.

“I want to borrow a plastic bottle from Mr. Kinoshita (his partner) and hit him with a tornado,” he said with a laugh.

He added with a laugh.

Kimoto-san seems to be offering refunds out of his own funds as much as he can. The important thing here is not to communicate between individuals. Some junior comedians, like Mr. Yoshimura, may not ask for a full refund because they feel it is their own fault for investing.

It may be partly out of sentiment. If they do respond to the refund, they will have to have a representative to represent them, or they will be in trouble again.

Kimoto is currently considering both civil and criminal legal action against Mr. A for a refund.

Kimoto’s sincere response to the series of disturbances has also been a topic of discussion. He admitted his fault, apologized, and expressed his intention to repay the money with his own funds. Even big names such as Akashiya Sanma and Matsumoto Hitoshi

He has no bad intentions.
He is not that kind of a guy.

He is not that kind of a guy. Still, there are some points that remain unanswered.

Mr. Kimoto says that he made the investment proposal out of consideration for his younger colleagues, but his solicitation language at the time was not clear. If words such as ‘guaranteed principal’ or ‘annual interest rate of 0%’ are used, it is out of the question. One of the juniors was called in for something related to comedy, where he was urged to invest endlessly.

When he refused, the junior staffer bluntly said, “That’s enough. If this is true, then Mr. Kimoto was in a hurry to “collect the money” for some reason.

Kimoto denies that he received any commission in collecting the money. However, the conditions after the investment, which ended in failure, are not yet clear.

Commentator Toru Tamagawa on TV Asahi’s “Morning Show” said

He pointed out, “It would be different if he simply recommended the fund for the best, or if there was a part of the fund that would benefit him if he collected the funds in some way.”

He pointed out, “It would be different if there was a part of it that would benefit me if I collected funds in some way. He argued that the company could offer convenience not in the form of commissions, but in the form of “investments with a good rate of return. He continued.

Without that part of the fee, how would there be any motivation to collect that much money? It is a little doubtful that they would go that far just because it is a good story and they would recommend it to others.

The moderator, Shinichi Hatori, also commented on this rather drastic view.

“I think it’s a little hard to think of it as a billion dollars for goodness sake,” agreed Shinichi Hatori.

He agreed.

Kimoto will hold another press conference in August. How will he answer these questions?

I’m sure he is in the process of thinking hard about the questions he will have to answer to the press. If he makes a mistake, he will be questioned by the law.

Reporters are also reporters, and they don’t necessarily believe that what Kimoto-san has said so far is true. I have a feeling that the press conference will be a battle of nerves, as if they are trying to pick the corners of a heavy box.

Will Kimoto be able to convince them with his own mouth?