Photo/Illutration Hitoshi Matsumoto (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The publisher of Shukan Bunshun magazine on March 28 asked a court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto over an article claiming the star forced women to perform sexual acts.

The publisher’s defense team, in its first oral arguments at the Tokyo District Court, also asked Matsumoto’s side to clarify which parts of the article were factually incorrect.

Matsumoto, 60, a member of popular comedy duo Downtown, did not appear in court.

He is seeking 550 million yen ($3.63 million) in damages over the article that appeared in the magazine published on Dec. 27, 2023, as well as on its online version.

The article featured the testimonies of two women who said Matsumoto had coerced them into performing sexual acts when they ate and drank with him and others at a Tokyo hotel on separate occasions in 2015.

Matsumoto, who filed the lawsuit on Jan. 22, has said, “There are no facts that would constitute ‘sexual assault.’”

The lawsuit said the article was “based on extremely sloppy reporting, featuring only one-sided statements,” and that it “had a fatal negative impact on his entertainment activities and damaged his social reputation.”

Matsumoto has suffered “indescribable damage” from the suspension of his appearances on numerous TV programs and in commercials, the lawsuit said. “(He) seeks compensation as well as the publication of an ‘apology advertisement.’”

The publisher pointed out in its written defense in court on March 28 that Matsumoto’s actions were in the public interest.

The article reported that “Matsumoto, who reigns at the top of the entertainment industry both in name and reality, said and did things that disregarded the dignity and human rights of women.”

As for the accuracy of the article, the publisher said the two women were interviewed multiple times.

The magazine carefully checked for discrepancies in their statements and their recollections of their time in the hotel, the publisher said.

The magazine also corroborated their testimonies with others involved in the incidents, and it interviewed Matsumoto himself, the publisher said.

The publisher said that through its actions, it was “convinced that (the women’s testimonies) were true.”

Addressing Matsumoto’s argument that the article “was all in error,” the publisher asked him to clarify which parts he believed were “contrary to fact.”

It asked if he was denying that he and other comedians attended drinking parties with the women, or if he was deying that multiple sexual acts had occurred. It also asked him if he was arguing that consent had been obtained from the women.

Matsumoto on March 25 released a statement through his lawyer.

“I have always aspired to make people laugh. I am simply bewildered, frustrated and saddened by the absurdity that so many people can no longer laugh (because of this), that so many innocent younger (comedians) are involved, and that my arguments are drowned out and not accepted,” the statement said.

“I want the truth to come out to the world, and I want to do comedy as soon as possible.”

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