Tag - yoshimoto-kogyo

 
 

YOSHIMOTO KOGYO

Hitoshi Matsumoto (left) and his Downtown comedy partner, Masatoshi Hamada, at an event in 2014
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 27, 2023
Popular Japanese comedian denies sexual assault allegations
The talent agency of Hitoshi Matsumoto, one half of the duo Downtown, said it is considering legal action over the report.
Japan Times
JAPAN
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.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 3, 2019
News outlets in Japan less afraid to tackle entertainment issues
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.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2019
Five things to know about the scandal enveloping top Japanese comedy agency Yoshimoto Kogyo
From one channel to the next, almost every comedy and variety show on Japanese TV features personalities from entertainment powerhouse Yoshimoto Kogyo Co.
Japan Times
JAPAN
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.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2019
Top Japanese comedian to retire in wake of 'underground business' scandal
Thanks to his purported gig entertaining elements of Japan's underworld in 2014, Hiroyuki Miyasako no longer has a contract with influential Yoshimoto Kogyo.
JAPAN / 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 u00a51 million, their agency says.
Japan Times
JAPAN / 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, experts say.
Japan Times
JAPAN
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.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jun 6, 2019
Japan's king of comedy, Yoshimoto Kogyo's Hiroshi Osaki, expands his realm
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 has for over a century, these days it's about much more than just promoting and showcasing owarai geinin (comedy performers).
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2018
Japanese entertainment, ad firms join forces with U.N. to raise awareness of social development goals
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.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 22, 2017
'Spark': A fool and a straight man walk into a bar...
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 comics usually opt for manzai, a style of duo comedy featuring a straight man (tsukkomi) and a fool (boke).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 15, 2017
Known for seeking thrills on TV, Daisuke Miyagawa goes for laughs in 'The Stand-In Thief'
Need someone to chase pigs in Thailand? Daisuke Miyagawa's your man. How about punching watermelons in Australia? Miyagawa's your man.
Japan Times
JAPAN
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.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Apr 21, 2016
Entertainment firm Yoshimoto Kogyo to open acting academy in Okinawa
Osaka-based entertainment management company Yoshimoto Kogyo Co. said Wednesday it will establish an academy in Okinawa to foster local talent.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Aug 23, 2014
Yoshimoto Kogyo's role in creating a real-life robot with a sense of humor
With big, round, smiling eyes and a shirt and bow tie displayed on the screen on his chest, humanoid robot Pepper is ready to entertain his guests. Music begins to play, and Pepper shows off his moves to the 1960s hit song "The Loco-Motion" as a crowd of onlookers laughs with pleasure.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Mar 27, 2014
Okinawa film fest gives fans an up-close view of the stars
Why go to Okinawa for movies? For anyone familiar with the international festival circuit, especially at its higher, artier end, the Okinawa International Movie Festival may well prompt this question — and a negative answer. "It's not a real film festival!" a fellow foreign journalist exclaimed to me on the cab ride back from the closing party on Sunday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
May 5, 2013
Japanese broadcasters eager to grab more Asian viewers
Japanese television networks are scrambling into Asia, seeing it as a new frontier of business opportunities as they struggle with dwindling advertising revenue at home.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Apr 24, 2013
Yoshimoto seeks laughs and profit beyond Japan
Osaka-based Yoshimoto Kogyo, the giant talent agency that celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, has made an enduring business out of that fleeting phenomenon: laughter.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 25, 2012
Play reveals manzai's U.S. roots
Watching the fast-paced, two-person manzai routines that characterize much of Japanese TV comedy these days, it's difficult to imagine that two key influences on that genre's birth were stars of cinema's silent era: Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chaplin.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on