Kusanagi Tsuyoshi's apology press conference

This is an excerpt of the 30-min press conference held at 9pm tonight in Victor Entertainment's office.

Q: Question / K: Kusanagi / Y: Yada (Kusanagi's lawyer)

K: I've done something which is truly embarrassing for an adult and am very sorry about it.

Y: Kusanagi was at his family home in Saitama on 22 April as he was off that day. He returned to Tokyo that evening and started drinking on his own at an izakaya near his house (Tokyo Midtown) from 9pm onwards. At 10pm when the izakaya closed for the day, he continued to drink with the izakaya's manager (male) and a female employee. The three of them drank mainly shochu.

Kusanagi himself does not remember exactly how long had passed since then and thought it was time to go home at around 2am (23 April). He went to the Hinokicho Park on his way home. Although it was said that he went to a bar later with his friends, he cannot remember this clearly. He cannot even recall clearly if he had stopped by at the park. As Kusanagi has virtually no memory of what happened after he parted with his friends, he did not know what made him so hyped up that he was singing, making noises and stripping himself naked in the park.

There could be a possibility that he mistook the park for his own apartment but this is something which Kusanagi himself does not remember.

He admits the facts presented so far and has tried to describe what he did before the arrest according to what he can remember. He is indeed repentant for this shameful deed as an adult. His working activities are all suspended at the moment. There will be a discussion with all related parties with regards to his punishment. This will be made known in time to come.

Q: How much did you drink?

K: I drank a lot but I did not set a limit to how much I drank. I drank to the extent of not knowing what happened.

Q: So you had no memory of what happened?

K: Yes.

Q: When did you first realize what had happened?

K: I lost consciousness and woke up at the police station. Even then, I was still so drunk that I couldn't differentiate between a dream or reality.

Q: When you left the Akasaka Police Station, were you still drunk?

K: Yes. The effects of the alcohol was still there and I was very sleepy. Thus, I was still in a drunken state at that time.

Q: When did you finally understand the trouble you had gotten yourself into?

K: I was in the detention cell and couldn't sleep at all. After getting some sleep, reality finally set in and I realized the severity of my actions. I first thought of the distress and shock brought onto my fans.

Q: What are you worried about now?

K: I've not met my fellow members yet but we have talked on the phone, one by one. They asked about my health condition. I created a lot of trouble for them and said sorry.

I called Nakai-kun first, followed by Kimura-kun, Goro-san and then Shingo. They were all concerned about my condition and listened to what I had to say. I told them about the press conference today. They told me that everything is fine and we will all decide what to do in future.

Q: When you called your fellow members, what were you thinking?

K: I was embarrassed and sorry. This is the first time that something like this happened. I was feeling unwell in the middle of the night and had to be put on a drip at the hospital.

Q: What is it that you do not remember doing?

K: I had never been naked outside. There was a time that I was drunk at home and stripped down to my underwear with my teammate Shingo.

Q: Did you think that your behaviour was unacceptable at that time?

K: Yes, I did. In fact, I was warned against drinking too much at that time. I believe that my members were worried that I may do something like this (stripping naked or causing disturbance) and had warned me many times in the past. However, I never took their advice seriously and is full of regrets now.

Q: Do you remember the time when you were wrapped up in a plastic sheet by the police?

K: I couldn't differentiate between a dream and reality and do not remember this.

Q: How would you drink alcohol in future now that this has happened?

K: I have no intention of drinking it now. In future, when I've grown up enough to behave like a responsible adult, that will be when I will drink again.

Q: What is the thing which you should have remembered?

K: I shouldn't have forgotten that I have a lot of fans. I should have been responsible as a member of SMAP. As our fans range from children to the elderly, I should have been more mindful of my actions.

Q: What do you think of your drinking style?

K: Even if I lose consciousness of what I was doing, I shouldn't have done this thing which caused a lot of problems.

Q: Were you under a lot of stress?

K: No. I am someone who loves drinking and would usually do it after work.

Q: Do you have to drink all the time?

K: No, there are times when I do not drink at all. Sometimes, I drink one glass only and sometimes, I drink many glasses at one go. This time, I drank much more than usual.

Q: Why did you drink so much this time?

K: It was about the same as usual but somehow, I was too happy and went overboard. And I do not do this all the time i.e. stripping naked.

Q: You were known for your clean image. Can you say something to your fans?

K: I am sorry for betraying my fans who had been supporting me all this while.

Q: Please say something to your Korean fans.

K: I'm also sorry for all the worry and distress caused to overseas fans.

Q: Please clarify on the facts of the case.

K: I drank 5 glasses of beer and 3 glasses of shochu. I do not remember what I drank after that as well as the time I spent drinking.

Q: How do you feel about not being able to continue with your activities?

K: I feel terrible. I wish to continue.

Q: There are fans who hope for your return.

K: I am grateful for such kind words but I know I have to repent for my actions. I do not know when I can go back to work.

Q: You said that you stripped down to your underwear with Shingo. Where did that happen?

K: My apartment.

Q: Do you hope to return to SMAP?

K: Of course I hope to return immediately. However, as I've said just now, I have to repent for my actions. This is not something which I can decide. I have to wait for fans and my fellow members to forgive me.

Q: What does SMAP mean to you?

K: A very huge presence and pillar of support. I am truly sorry for what has happened.

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OK, this case is tentatively over for the time being. Until the prosecutors announce their decision of whether to charge Kusanagi in court or the punishment meted to him, I believe there won't be any substantial updates coming up for the next few days unless the police releases more info obtained through the investigation. I probably won't be updating on this as frequently as what I did for these two days.

Honestly speaking, I am sad and angry to see Kusanagi's hard work and clean image built up over 20 years gone with just one night's folly. He is my No.1 favourite member of SMAP and I like him for his down-to-earth ways, his great acting skills and the tenacity he displayed when mastering Korean in such a short time. I'm also learning Korean now so I realize that it's not easy at all. Of course, he has to be scolded for what he did. He even admitted that his teammates told him off before but he didn't heed their advice. Drinking till not knowing what's going on is not an excuse for the action. He had work the next day (the SMAPxSMAP filming) and shouldn't have been drinking that heavily the night before. Losing control is something which an adult of his age should not do. Was he under stress or not? Reports are varied with lots of differing information. The police said he was angry that day (over what?) but he said in the press conference that he was happy that night. Hmm...something which cannot be revealed is going on?

As to whether he will be sacked or SMAP will disband, I believe that it's not possible. Frankly speaking, in terms of commercial concerns, SMAP brings in lots of money for the agency. It wouldn't be the same if one is dropped. And if Kusanagi's dropped while Goro was safe 8 years ago, it will create a hoo-ha. Assuming if Kusanagi is found guilty in court, I guess his suspension period will turn out to be longer than Goro's 5 months. If he gets away with probabtion or a fine, things are likely to look better for him. It is almost a certainty that we will not get to see him until the end of the year. Since he is dropped from the summer drama lineup, the earliest we can see him may be in Sep, assuming Toho and Johnny's allows him to do the promotion for the movie, "BALLAD". Otherwise, we may have to wait until Kouhaku in Dec.