Japanese TV personalities Iyo Matsumoto and Yu Hayami are getting flak from the police after walking along railway tracks in Kyoto, which is legally considered trespassing.
The Kyoto police referred their suspected violation of the railway business law to prosecutors on Friday after a photo of the two middle-aged moms and former pop idols — dubbed mama-doru — traipsing on the tracks was posted by Matsumoto on her blog. It started drawing critical comments last month.
According to the police, Matsumoto, 51, and Hayami, 50, walked along the tracks of JR San-in Line in Kyoto on Jan. 13 during a trip to the city to shoot a TV travel program.
The following day, Matsumoto posted a photo of them on the tracks to her blog with a caption saying the two heard the crossing alarm go off and ran away.
After the entry immediately drew public criticism, Matsumoto offered an apology on her blog on Jan. 15 and has since deleted the article. Hayami also apologized on her blog.
The police questioned the two in late January, and said both admitted to walking on the tracks and regretted it.
Yomiuri Telecasting Corp., a regional network based in Osaka, said Friday it will cancel the episode of the TV show featuring the two that had been schedule to air this month.
Matsumoto and Hayami, both top idols in the 1980s, have been members of a mama-doru group called Cutie Mommy for around 10 years.