[UPDATE] Yoshimoto Kogyo president Okamoto Akihiko in tears during apology press conference

Yoshimoto Kogyo president Okamoto Akihiko (53) held a press conference at 2:30 p.m. and is still continuing at this time. Here are a key points so far:

Okamoto was in tears discussed how he wished he did things differently and have them together in a meeting against someday and support them when they come back.

Okamoto said that Yoshimoto Kogyo will withdraw the punishment it had set out for some of the comedians who received money for appearing at an event attended by members of a criminal group.

Okamoto who said that he was not a performer and not a talent was not able to realize what the performers and talents were going through.

Okamoto said he would like to have a face-to-face discussion with them, listen to their thoughts and work out a solution.  He also said he will offer maximum support if they came back to the company.

The press conference is in response when Miyasako Hiroyuki and Tamura Ryo revealed in their press conference several days ago that Yoshimoto Kogyo president gave them two options, to retire or to cancel their contracts.  Both Miyasako and Tamura are well-known, popular comedian for the companies who admitted their wrongdoing of taking payments from an antisocial organization and attending as a guest of an event.

Miyasako revealed that he believed the event was setup by a fellow comedian who said he was arranging the guest spots with a sponsor for Yoshimoto Kogyo.  Miyasako let his friends handle the details because he was drunk at the time but had no reasons to doubt him.

Miyasako revealed in his press conference that he tried to have a press conference back in early June but was told by Okamoto, “I have the power to fire all of you”.

Okamoto said in the press conference that he did not say he has the power. He did say he was emotional due to the lack of progress during the discussions with the two comedians.  He regrets of what happened.

Okamoto said that he would like the company that can contribute to society that is loved and trusted by people all over the world.  Okamoto apologized and said he wants to create an environment where people can live and showcase their talent.

It was also announced that he and Yoshimoto Kogyo’s CEO Osaki Hiroshi  will return 50% of their salaries for one year to accept responsibility.

Yoshimoto Kogyo entertainers on television and SNS shared their dissatisfaction of the press conference, feeling that Okamoto didn’t really answer anything.  That he would say “no” and didn’t really answer the questions at all.

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