SMAP's Tsuyoshi Kusanagi Arrested for Indecent Exposure

author: R., Andrea - translation: Andrea

source: Japan Today

Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, a member of the pop group SMAP, was arrested Thursday for public indecency, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department said. Kusanagi, 34, was arrested on the spot at around 3 a.m. for allegedly stripping naked under the influence of alcohol in Hinokicho Park near Tokyo Midtown in Tokyo’s Minato Ward. Neighbors had called the police as he had been making a noise, according to the police.

More details and the ramifications are coming in about this incident. All of the TV commercials featuring Kusanagi are being pulled such as Toyota Motor Company's commercial. Kusanagi was also Japan's promoter for switching to digital TV broadcasting next year. When asked to comment about this incident, Japan's Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Kunio Hatoyama told reporters that all posters featuring Kusanagi will be taken down. When his management company, Johnny & Associates were asked to comment, they gave an apology and said Kusanagi will refrain from entertainment activities for now.

The member of the hugely popular group of five male vocalists is well known for his fluency in Korean and has starred in a number of TV dramas and movies.

In 2001, another SMAP member, Goro Inagaki, was arrested on suspicion of illegally parking his car and obstructing police officers from performing their duties in an attempt to dodge a parking ticket. He was spared indictment at that time.