Photo/Illutration Hitoshi Matsumoto (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto will take a break from his career following accusations of sexual assault reported by a weekly magazine last month.

Yoshimoto Kogyo Co., Matsumoto’s management agency, announced on Jan. 8 that the comedian would suspend all his show business activities to focus on a legal battle against the publisher of the Shukan Bunshun.

“If I engage in a trial, I will no longer be able to devote myself to my job as a comedian,” Yoshimoto Kogyo quoted Matsumoto as saying.

The Shukan Bunshun published an article on Dec. 27 in which two women accuse Matsumoto and his associates of sexually abusing them in a Tokyo hotel room in 2015.

Yoshimoto Kogyo has denied the allegations, suggesting legal action will be taken against the publisher.

“I’ll fight the allegations, which are totally groundless,” Matsumoto said on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Jan. 8.

He also promised to appear on “Wide na Show,” a Sunday morning tabloid program, as his last TV appearance before the announced hiatus.

Matsumoto, 60, a member of the popular comedy duo Downtown, is one of the most famous TV celebrities in Japan.

Currently, Matsumoto makes regular appearances in seven weekly TV shows, three of them with his Downtown partner Masatoshi Hamada.

Giant corporations also feature Matsumoto in their commercials.

Yoshimoto Kogyo said it would let those sponsors and broadcasters decide whether to cancel the commercials and filmed episodes featuring Matsumoto.

Matsumoto is also appointed as an official ambassador for the 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo.

Although the organizer of the event hasn’t decided anything about Matsumoto’s appointment following the allegations, Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura suggested on Jan. 9 that Matsumoto would also be suspended as an ambassador.

“Obviously, he will not serve as an ambassador as he will take a break from his career,” Yoshimura said.

(Takashi Yoshikawa also contributed to this article.)

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