There's a tired adage that goes, "Behind every great man is a great woman." In Japan, you could amend it to: "Behind every great older man is a great woman making sure he stays relevant, especially if he's in show business." The tabloid press have had a grand time exploring how the late beloved movie stars Ken Takakura and Hiroki Matsukata were able to enjoy their twilight years thanks to younger women who took care of their personal and professional affairs, including their finances.
Add to this list veteran comedian and King of All Media "Beat" Takeshi Kitano. For several years it's been reported that the 71-year-old Kitano has been with a woman 18 years his junior who also manages his life; so much so that Kitano established a production company three years ago called T. N Gon Inc. and put her in charge of it. The show biz media now reports that Kitano is leaving his present talent agency and production company, Office Kitano, which he founded in 1988, and taking his considerable celebrity cachet to T.N Gon Inc. in April.
According to Sports Nippon, Kitano says he wants to relieve himself of the "burden" of his famous "Gundan," the "Army" of comedians represented by Office Kitano, in order to have more time to pursue activities important to him. Though Kitano is a world-famous, award-winning filmmaker, as well as a writer and painter, he derives most of his income from TV appearances. It's not unusual to find his name attached to at least six variety shows a week, but it seems the only reason he works that hard is because he feels responsible for the people in his production company.