During the early hours of October 7, 2024 news developed of comedian trio Jungle Pocket's figurehead member Shinji Saito's referral to prosecutors by the Metropolitan Police Department following allegations of sexual assault towards a woman in her 20s back in July of the same year. The assault, confirmed by Saito himself, which took place within a location bus during on-site filming in the Shinjuku ward of Tokyo, is the latest stain on the comedian's agency Yoshimoto Kogyo to occur within a 12-month span.
Since the development of this story, Yoshimoto Kogyo has announced the dismissal of Shinji Saito, and the continuation of Jungle Pocket as a duo. The news comes after it was suddenly announced in mid-September that Shinji Saito would be going on hiatus following claims of health problems, according to Yoshimoto Kogyo.
Yoshimoto Kogyo is an undeniable titan of the Japanese entertainment landscape. While internationally, conglomerates like the former Johnny's Entertainment have their name embedded into the common zeitgeist, within the world of domestic comedy Yoshimoto Kogyo's influence can not be understated. Originally founded in 1912, the agency has for the most part managed to maintain a clean image over the course of 112 years, with one of the most publicly documented stains not occurring until 2019 when several comedians under their umbrella were found to be performing in secret for yakuza-organized parties.
On the flip side, comedian trio Jungle Pocket has been performing under Yoshimoto Kogyo since 2006, having all graduated from the agency's Yoshimoto NSC school as part of the Tokyo-branches 12th generation. At the time, they were joined by fellow contemporary Naomi Watanabe and would be one of only four acts to debut in this generation. They're a face many familiar with Japanese TV would be acquainted with, appearing weekly as regular guests on comedy programs such as Ariyoshi no Kabe and news programs like Love it!.
Within the realm of comedic achievements, the group made their break after reaching the finals for the King of Conte tournament, a TBS and Yoshimoto Kogyo co-produced comedy tournament with the finals being broadcast on national television. For many in Japan, the King of Conte, as well as other major events such as the M-1 Grand Prix and THE MANZAI, is where they first become familiar with various comedians. Jungle Pocket were regulars in all three tournaments, with the King of Conte 2024 set to happen the same weekend as this news breaking.
But while the news of Shinji Saito's case dominates the news cycle, it calls back to another set of allegations that broke within the last 12 months directed at another comedian represented by Yoshimoto Kogyo.
In the late days of December 2023, Hitoshi Matsumoto of comedy duo Downtown made headlines when allegations of sexual assault were leveled against him by several women written within the tabloid magazine Shukan Bunshun. Unlike Saito who was quick to confirm his actions, however, Matsumoto has to this day contested the claims made against him, joining Yoshimoto Kogyo in a legal battle leveraged against Shukan Bunshun on grounds of defamation.
But despite the ongoing legal battle, the damage was done. It would be justified to call both members of Downtown the faces of comedy in Japan, and as members of Yoshimoto NSC Osaka's first generation of comedians, the public image of Yoshimoto Kogyo took an undeniable hit. This wasn't aided by the fact that within the same year similar claims were finally being settled towards Japanese entertainment giant Johnny's Entertainment, which eventually led to their dismantlement, and public perception of the old guard of entertainment was already falling apart.
Now just 10 months in the aftermath of the claims made against Hitoshi Matsumoto, Shinji Saito's case once again pushes the public's attention towards Yoshimoto Kogyo and the happenings of the entertainment industry at large. As the general public has been given more significant platforms to make their voices heard, it remains to be seen just how these actions will affect the agency in the long term. But as the flood gates are opened, and more people realize that their stories don't need to remain hidden rumors of the industry, I can't imagine internally that Yoshimoto Kogyo or any of the other large-scale agencies within the entertainment sphere are going to remain idle.
Note: Despite Shinji Saito's own statements in regards to the allegations, Saito's wife on Instagram earlier during the day made a public post refuting the claims. According to her post, she's urged police to check the drive camera footage from within the location bus, claiming that the action was consensual. She signs off the post stating that she has a child whom she needs to protect, and offers apologies.
