entertainment

Jun Komori shuts down blog following fraudulent auction site scandal

19 Comments

Model Jun Komori, 27, has shut down her official blog in response to the revelation that she helped an online auction site commit fraud.

Ryusuge Suzuki, 30, operator of "penny auction" site World Auction was arrested by Kyoto and Osaka prefectural police this month, along with three of his colleagues, for allegedly using false bids to drive up the prices of items being sold through the site.

Komori, as well as other pin-up models such Aki Hoshino and Yoko Kumada, have since publicly acknowledged that they accepted large payments to write false endorsements of World Auction products that they did not purchase.

Penny auction sites charge users approximately 70 yen per bid as a handling fee, through which they garners millions of yen in commission. World Auction, which was established in 2010 and has more than 100,000 members, hit headlines this year after it allegedly defrauded two women out of 6,000 yen.

Several penny auction site operators were accused of fraudulent practices by consumers in Japan, such as using computer programs and fake users to drive up prices and generate handling fees. On March 31 last year, three such companies were given official warnings by the Consumer Affairs Agency for violations related to the Law Against Unjustifiable Promotional Gifts and Misleading Representations.

Following the public apology she published on her blog on Dec 15, Komori went on to thank her followers and to say goodbye. Komori wrote about her feelings and told fans on Friday that she would no longer be updating her blog, which she has maintained for 4 years and 8 months. She went on to say that although it has been important to her, she felt it was now time to move on and try new things.

Japan’s director of the Consumer Affairs Agency this month advised members of the entertainment industry to take greater care following the false endorsement scandal. The agency urged celebrities to be aware of the power of their influence and to avoid irresponsible statements.

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.


19 Comments
Login to comment

And what's going to happen to Jun and the other pin-ups who WILLINGLY engaged in fraud? nothing! In fact, I can already hear the sympathy votes pouring in from fans. So long as you're a celebrity in Japan, crime is not that punishable.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

"Pin up models". Not "talento". Thanks JT for being more accurate

3 ( +3 / -0 )

So why is this in 'entertainment' and not the crime section ?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

This is a crime. Those people should be under arrest and never appear on TV nor any media.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Wow, somebody comes up with a decent idea for a business (albeit wholly copied from existing, successful businesses) and it doesn't take long (less than two years in this case) for all the scamming cockroaches to come in and milk it for as much as they can before the cops show up.

Nice going, safety Japan.

That some of these scamming cockroaches are super kawaii (now conspicuously remorseful) brainless pinup models isn't surprising.

No mention if they need to give back any of the cash, or even how much it was, though.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

good post gaijinfo

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Komori got 400,000 yen. She can hardly return the money to the scammers.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

She's terribly sorry. Yes, I would agree that she and the others are indeed terribly sorry.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Komori, as well as other pin-up models such Aki Hoshino and Yoko Kumada, have since publicly acknowledged that they accepted large payments to write false endorsements of World Auction products that they did not purchase.

Isn't that how all advertising works?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

i have to show this to a Japanese friend, whom i told him to use ebay, and told me that is not japanese, like ebay is not safe, but japanese actions site are safe.

hahahaha...lol

this news make my date!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

And my Japanese friends always wonder why it bothers me that "journalist" and other TV announcers are used for commercials in Japan. No conflict of interests there. It's already been asked here, but why aren't these people being arrested for fraud?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Isn't that how all advertising works?

I"m not sure about Japan, but don't most places have to say that it's a paid product endorsement?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Where does it end in Japan? Fraudulent practices seem to be so common in this country. If I remember correctly there was another site a while back that did reviews on restaurants, bars etc and people were being paid to write those said reviews. Im sure Komori will take a break from he blog for a while, but shell be back with it ... too much money to give it up.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Penny auction sites charge users approximately 70 yen per bid as a handling fee

Ebay, which I've used, doesn't charge the buyer anything for bidding. And sometimes, it's free for the seller too.

i have to show this to a Japanese friend, whom i told him to use ebay, and told me that is not japanese, like ebay is not safe, but japanese actions site are safe.

Not to mention that one popular Japanese auction site (can't remember whether it was yahoo) allows its sellers to reject bids from non-Japanese.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I am not surprised by this at all, especially given the number of followers these women have. It is a fantastic forum to surreptitiously spruik a product without their fans knowing.

Obviously this kind of thing is not confined to Japan with many American celebrities on Twitter receiving money every time they mention a particular product in a "tweet". Australian radio personalities were also caught "spruiking" products in return for large sums of money.

I have no problem with people selling products as long as they disclose any of conflict of interest.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The 'penny auction' sites are blatant dodges to begin with. You bid a penny but it cost you a 50-penny fee to place the bid! So take the final selling price and multiply by 50x and that is what the site owners receive for their merchandise! Folks who use these sites as buyers are gambling that they will be the last fool in for a penny - actually 51 pennies!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Where's the public apology with the obligatory crocodile tears and the 'I must go into hiding for 6 months' speech? In the case of these tarentos like Hoshino, I wish they would quit permanently. These people are plain annoying and fake.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Jun Komori's career. Going, going...gone.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Is she supposed to be good looking? I can't figure out why.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites