Comedian Matsumoto Issues Statement Ahead of 1st Court Hearing
Tokyo, March 26 (Jiji Press)--Hitoshi Matsumoto of the popular Japanese comic duo Downtown has issued a statement through his lawyers ahead of the first court hearing on Thursday in a lawsuit he filed against a weekly magazine publisher over his alleged forcible sexual activity with a woman.
In the statement, released on Monday, Matsumoto said that he wants to show comedy as soon as possible after the truth is known to the public, adding that he was upset and saddened by an "unfair" situation in which none of his claims is accepted.
The Shukan Bunshun weekly reported the scandal in December, and Matsumoto suspended his entertainment activities in January. He later sued the weekly side, demanding that it pay about 550 million yen in damages and publish an article correcting the report in question.
The weekly has said that it is confident in its reporting on the matter and will continue to report what should be reported.
(2024/03/26-12:20)
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