Koide Keisuke announces indefinite break from acting due to scandal of drinking and having sex with an underage girl

Koide Keisuke announced his indefinite break from acting with effect from 8 June through a statement released by his agency in relation to a report in FRIDAY about him drinking alcohol with and having an "inappropriate relationship" with an underage girl. Here is a summary of what happened and the aftermath of this scandal and his career suspension:

The scandal
FRIDAY's article on 9 June which has since been confirmed by Koide himself and his agency to be true, reports that Koide was in Osaka for the filming of his NHK drama "Kamisama no Hitogoto" on 9 May. Photos of him behaving intimately with a 17-year-old girl nicknamed as A-san at a bar and singing karaoke were included in the report. A-san was also interviewed by FRIDAY about what happened that night.

Koide was drinking with 6 other people including men and women at the bar when his friend invited A-san to join them and it was made known to Koide then that she was only 17. Koide and A-san were playing games and drinking a type of liquer called Cocalero in shot glasses even though she was underage and should not have been allowed to drink. After drinking, the two went back to Koide's hotel room where they had sex 5 times despite A-san's objection and Koide did not use any contraceptives. When A-san commented that he was like Kano Eiko who was caught having sex with a 17-year-old senior high school student in January 2017, Koide replied that he was fully aware of this i.e. the fact he also had sex with a 17-year-old girl.

FRIDAY informed Koide's agency Amuse in the evening of 6 June about their upcoming report and asked for a confirmation from Koide who admitted that the facts in the report were true.

Koide's statement
In response to the scandal, Koide apologised for his thoughtless action which had caused a lot of trouble and worry to everyone around him. He also apologised to A-san for what he did. As an adult and someone who is a public figure, he had no excuses for his lack of self-awareness in behaving properly and his naiveness for creating such a big mess.As such, he is prepared for the criticism and punishment which will come his way and he will take up full responsibility for his actions.

Koide's agency Amuse's statement
Amuse released its statement on 9 June saying that as Koide's scandal involves a possible criminal case, they are currently in discussions with experts to find out the facts and analyse the possible legal repercussions. As such, they are unable to comment much on this matter until there is a further development in the situation. The agency apologised to A-san and promised to handle this situation with the utmost sincerity. They also apologised for their poor supervision of their artiste which had partly led to this situation.

In response to news of this scandal, Amuse's share price dropped by 3.53% to 3,010 yen which was 110 yen lower than the previous day. The agency's share price last suffered such high falls in July 2010 when Kuwata Keisuke announced that he was suffering from cancer and in September 2015 when Fukuyama Masaharu announced his marriage to Fukiishi Kazue.

What will happen to the works which Koide is or was involved in?
The impact of Koide's indefinite break is far-reaching as it does not involve new works only. Re-broadcasts of older dramas and movies are also affected as a result. Here is a list of the projects which have been impacted by this scandal so far:

- NHK's new drama "Kamisama kara hitogoto ~ Naniwa okyakusama soudanshitsu monogatari ~"
Originally scheduled to begin its run from 10 June, this drama has been taken off the broadcast schedule. Koide is the lead actor in this drama and the filming had been completed. As it is rare for an entire drama to be taken off the broadcast schedule just days before its OA due to an artiste's scandal, NHK is currently in negotiations with Amuse on compensation matters.
A re-run of NHK's "Bakumatsu Gurume Bushimeshi!" which was shown in January this year starring Seto Koji will be taking up the vacant timeslots.

- Movie "Nodame Cantabile Saishu Gakusho"
Originally planned to be re-broadcast on BS Premium on 24th and 29th June but has been cancelled. Another programme will be taking up the vacant slots.

- NTV's new Summer 2017 drama "Aishitetatte, Himitsu wa aru" starring Fukushi Souta
Koide has been removed from the cast line-up and preparations are underway to find a replacement. Koide's picture and name was removed from the cast list and map which were already on the drama's official website. He was supposed to have played Fukushi's elder brother in the drama.

- Netflix drama "Jimmy ~ Aho mitai na honma no hanashi"
Koide was one of the leads in this project produced by Akashiya Sanma and he plays Sanma in the drama. Negotiations are in progress on what to do about this drama which was said to have cost Yoshimoto Kogyo JPY 300 million yen to produce. There was a production press conference due to take place on 8 June which was cancelled due to this scandal. Jimmy who was also scheduled to hold an event to commemorate the release of the original book for this drama, had to cancel the event on 8 June.

- New movie "Ie ni kaeruto tsuma ga kanarazu shindafuri wo shiteimasu" starring Yasuda Ken & Eikura Nana
Filming had been completed and the movie is scheduled to be shown next year. However, as Koide plays a key supporting role in the movie, it will be difficult to delete his scenes.

- Morinaga Milk Industry has cancelled its CM deal for Mt. Rainier with Koide.

- BS-TBS documentary programme "Yume no Kagi"
Koide was the narrator for this programme and has been relieved of his duties.

- All past NHK dramas featuring Koide have been taken off NHK's on-demand streaming service. This includes dramas such as "Ume-chan Sensei", "Thrill! Aka no Sho" and "Yoshiwara Uradoushin".

What is likely to happen to Koide?
There is no criminal law regulating the drinking of alcohol with an underage person but having a sexual relationship with an underage person will be in violation of laws protecting those under the age of 18. Especially since he was believed to have taken the initiative in bringing the girl back to his hotel room and was aware of her age, even if the victim was willing, does not file a police report or is willing to settle for compensation, the police may still take action. There is also a likelihood of him being liable for rape charges if the girl was not a willing party.

Sources: Oricon 1 / Oricon 2 / Oricon 3 / Oricon 4 / Oricon 5 / Oricon 6 / Oricon 7 / Oricon 8 / Nikkansports 1 / Nikkansports 2 / Nikkansports 3 / Nikkansports 4 / Nikkansports 5 / Nikkansports 6 / Sponichi 1

Press conference of new NHK drama "Kamisama kara hitogoto Naniwa okyakusama soudasnshitsu monogatari"

The press conference of new NHK drama "Kamisama kara hitogoto Naniwa okyakusama soudanshitsu monogatari" was held at the TV station's HQ on 30 May which was attended by cast members Koide Keisuke, Kishii Yukino and Danta Yasunori. The drama which is based on the same-titled novel by Naoki Award-winning writer Ogiwara Hiroshi, features Koide as the lead character Sakura Ryohei who is a straightforward guy and hates to go around the bush. His overly strong sense of justice causes Ryohei to clash with his superior so often that he is transferred from a major advertising agency to a food manufacturer Tamayama Shokuhin's customer service department. On his first day of work, Ryohei ends up quarelling with his boss again and gets sent to the customer counselling room which deals with "monster complainers". In this department, he has to work with colleagues with very colourful characters but they are all experts in dealing with complaints. Although Ryohei feels that he does not fit in within the organisation, he starts to pick up skills in complaint handling and grows to become an even better person. The drama consists of 6 episodes and will begin its run from 10 June in the Saturdays 8.15pm timeslot.

In line with the story's theme, the cast were asked about the worst complaint they made or received. Koide recounted that when he appeared in his first movie "Pacchigi!" which was still shot on film then, his poor acting skills caused a lot of NGs which led to remarks from director Izutsu Kazuyuki that his pay wouldn't even cover the cost of the film and that he should go and buy some film to compensate for the losses. There was a scene when he had to clash head-on with fellow actor Shioya Shun but the two of them were trying to avoid hitting each other for real which led to them being scolded and ordered to knock into each other without holding back. As for Kishii, she commented that she has a constitution which is prone to feeling cold. When the aircon and fan were turned on at the filming studio, she was feeling so cold and could only tell others about it after the filming finally ended. Last but not least, Danta revealed that he bought an expensive electric rice cooker which had a spoilt base so he had to call the manufacturer to complain.

As for filming in Osaka for the first time, Koide expressed his surprise at the locals who would not hesitate to come up to him to take pictures even though they had begun filming.

Sources: Sanspo / Eiga.com

Koide Keisuke to star in new NHK drama "Kamisama kara hitogoto ~ Naniwa okyakusama soudanshitsu monogatari ~"

Koide Keisuke will be starring in the new NHK drama "Kamisama kara hitogoto ~ Naniwa okyakusama soudanshitsu monogatari ~" (A word from God ~ the story of Naniwa customer counselling room ~) which will begin its run from 10 June in the Saturdays 8.15pm timeslot. The drama which consists of 6 episodes, is based on the same-titled novel by Ogiwara Hiroshi who won the 155th Naoki Award.

Koide plays the lead character Sakura Ryohei who is a straightforward guy and hates to go around the bush. His overly strong sense of justice causes Ryohei to clash with his superior so often that he is transferred from a major advertising agency to a food manufacturer Tamayama Shokuhin's customer service department. On the first day of his work, Ryohei ends up quarelling with his boss again and gets sent to the customer counselling room which deals with "monster complainers". In this department, he has to work with colleagues with very colourful characters but they are all experts in dealing with complaints. Although Ryohei feels that he does not fit in within the organisation, he starts to pick up skills in complaint handling and grows to become an even better person. Co-stars include Kishii Yukino, Miyake Hiroki, Yoshizawa Hisashi, Koizumi Kotaro, Ichige Yoshie, Kusabue Mitsuko and Danta Yasunori.

Source: Oricon