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Yoshimoto Kogyo

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Scandal-hit Yoshimoto Kogyo urged to sign written contracts with its 6,000 entertainers

National Aug 9, 2019

Scandal-hit Yoshimoto Kogyo urged to sign written contracts with its 6,000 entertainers

Scandal-hit artists' agency Yoshimoto Kogyo Co. is being urged to exchange written contracts with the comedians, actors and athletes on its books. The recommendation came after the first meeting of a management advisory panel that Yoshimoto set up after the revelation that several of its ...

News outlets in Japan less afraid to tackle entertainment issues

National / Media | MEDIA MIX Aug 3, 2019

News outlets in Japan less afraid to tackle entertainment issues

by Philip Brasor

Ever since Johnny Kitagawa died on July 9, the media has been filled with sentimental tributes to the pop idol impresario, mostly by the young men whose careers he cultivated, but also by those with a stake in Japan's hermetic show biz world. Meanwhile, Kitagawa's ...

Five things to know about the scandal enveloping top Japanese comedy agency Yoshimoto Kogyo

National Jul 26, 2019

Five things to know about the scandal enveloping top Japanese comedy agency Yoshimoto Kogyo

by Masumi Koizumi

From one channel to the next, almost every comedy and variety show on Japanese TV features personalities from entertainment powerhouse Yoshimoto Kogyo Co. But recently the company has been rocked by a scandal involving high-profile comedians that is no laughing matter. What began last month ...

Scandal-hit comedians apologize for receiving money for organized crime group event

National Jul 21, 2019

Scandal-hit comedians apologize for receiving money for organized crime group event

Hiroyuki Miyasako, a member of popular comedy duo Ameagari Kesshitai, offered an apology at a news conference Saturday for performing at an event hosted by an organized crime group and receiving money from it. "I would like to apologize to everyone," Miyasako, who had his ...

National / Crime & Legal Jul 13, 2019

Japanese comedians pocketed up to ¥1 million from secret show for alleged crime group, Yoshimoto Kogyo says

Thirteen comedians who recently criticized for secretly performing at a party hosted by a purported crime group each received between several tens of thousands of yen and ¥1 million, their agency says.

Japanese comedians turn to yakuza-linked 'underground performances' due to unstable income

National | FOCUS Jul 9, 2019

Japanese comedians turn to yakuza-linked 'underground performances' due to unstable income

Despite mounting criticism over recently revealed "underground performances" for organized crime by some comedians, quitting such work appears difficult, as they are important sources of income for the entertainers, many of whom are apparently not earning enough money from activities through their talent agencies, ...

Talent agency suspends 11 comedians for accepting money from alleged organized crime group

National Jun 25, 2019

Talent agency suspends 11 comedians for accepting money from alleged organized crime group

A major talent agency on Monday suspended 11 of its comedians for conducting "underground business" and attending a party hosted by a purported organized crime group without consulting with the company. Yoshimoto Kogyo Co. said it has determined that the comedians, including Hiroyuki Miyasako, 49, ...

Japan's king of comedy, Yoshimoto Kogyo's Hiroshi Osaki, expands his realm

TV Jun 6, 2019

Japan's king of comedy, Yoshimoto Kogyo's Hiroshi Osaki, expands his realm

by Matthew Hernon

It has been 10 years since Hiroshi Osaki took the reins at Yoshimoto Kogyo, and in that time Japan's oldest and arguably most influential entertainment agency has veered down several different paths. While comedy remains at the forefront of the company's activities, as it ...

Japanese entertainment, ad firms join forces with U.N. to raise awareness of social development goals

National Aug 26, 2018

Japanese entertainment, ad firms join forces with U.N. to raise awareness of social development goals

by Seana K. Magee

Representatives from entertainment powerhouse Yoshimoto Kogyo Co., advertising giant Dentsu Inc. and the United Nations recently highlighted their joint efforts to make the Japanese public aware of the international body's social development work around the globe. The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, a set of ...

'Spark': A fool and a straight man walk into a bar...

Film / Reviews Nov 22, 2017

'Spark': A fool and a straight man walk into a bar...

by Mark Schilling

Stand-up — one comic in front of a microphone — is the default setting for live comedy in the United States. In Japan the equivalent has long been rakugo, a traditional form in which a single performer tells comic stories. Today, however, aspiring ...

Known for seeking thrills on TV, Daisuke Miyagawa goes for laughs in 'The Stand-In Thief'

Film Nov 15, 2017

Known for seeking thrills on TV, Daisuke Miyagawa goes for laughs in 'The Stand-In Thief'

by Matthew Hernon

Need someone to chase pigs in Thailand? Daisuke Miyagawa's your man. How about punching watermelons in Australia? Miyagawa's your man. The 45-year-old comedian has been sent on numerous overseas adventures as part of the Nippon TV variety show "Sekai no Hate Made Itte Q" (which ...

Yoshimoto Kogyo comedians team up with Fukushima to restore disaster-hit scenic rail line

National Sep 29, 2017

Yoshimoto Kogyo comedians team up with Fukushima to restore disaster-hit scenic rail line

Fukushima Prefecture has teamed up with major entertainment company Yoshimoto Kogyo Co. as the prefecture reopens a scenic local railway line that had been partially closed due to damage from torrential rain six years ago. Special tours were launched recently that took visitors on the ...

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