Singer, comedian and all-around nice guy Tsuyoshi Kusanagi has been a fixture on Japanese TV for the past two decades as a member of the popular group SMAP, appearing in many drama and variety shows and even learning Korean so he could be a bridge of comedy between Japan and South Korea. Given his squeaky-clean image, fans were shocked when was arrested for public nudity at 3 am in a park in Tokyo a few weeks ago. He’d been drinking heavily and had apparently thought he was at home, as his clothes were removed and folded neatly beside a bush. His arrest caused shockwaves in the Japanese entertainment world, and got the poor guy yanked from some high-profile advertising contracts as the media engaged in an unprecidented feeding frenzy. Happily, Tokyo prosecutors have stated that they won’t be “sending the documents” (a Japanese idiom that means to officially file charges) against the singer, mainly because he’d shown remorse and reflection for what he’d done. While his future career is still up in the air, some years ago another SMAP member got in trouble for running away from a police officer who was trying to give him a parking ticket, injuring the officer, which got him banned from the group for six months. Hopefully Tsuyoshi will be able to get back to work soon.
The ii hito (nice guy) of Japan’s “talent” world got in trouble after drinking too much.
