Japanese Comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto Withdraws Defamation Lawsuit

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:27 JST, November 8, 2024

Japanese comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto has reached an agreement with Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine to withdraw his lawsuit in which he claimed that his reputation was damaged when the magazine published women’s testimony that Matsumoto had engaged in sexual acts with them without their consent, it has been learned.

In the lawsuit, Matsumoto, a member of the popular comic duo Downtown, was demanding that the Shukan Bunshun pay about ¥550 million in damages and publish an article correcting its report. In December last year, Shukan Bunshun reported allegations that Matsumoto had forced women into sexual acts, citing testimony from two women who were drinking with Matsumoto at a luxury hotel in Tokyo in 2015.