Photo/Illutration Comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Hitoshi Matsumoto and publisher Bungeishunju Ltd. agreed to the withdrawal of a lawsuit filed by Matsumoto over a weekly magazine’s article alleging that the comedian forced two women to perform sexual acts.

Matsumoto, 61, submitted the lawsuit to the Tokyo District Court in January seeking 550 million yen ($3.6 million) in compensation. He also sought an article correcting the initial one that appeared in Shukan Bunshun magazine in December 2023.

Both Matsumoto and Bungeishunju released statements on Nov. 8 regarding their agreement on the lawsuit.

In his statement, Matsumoto offered a heartfelt apology to all the women who attended the party reported in the magazine article for any hurt or discomfort they may have experienced there.

At the same time, he confirmed there was no direct physical evidence backing the allegation that he forced the women to perform sexual acts. He added that no money was given to the two women.

According to sources, Bungeishunju agreed to Matsumoto withdrawing the lawsuit after consulting with the two women whose allegations appeared in the magazine article.

The lawsuit said the article was “based on extremely sloppy reporting, featuring only one-sided statements” without presenting any objective evidence backing its claims.

The compensation was to cover TV programs and commercials that Matsumoto had to step down from due to the controversy that followed the article’s publication.

Several sources said the two sides had been holding discussions that began this summer outside of the court proceedings related to the lawsuit.

 

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