Kusanagi will pay heavy price with contract cancellations

Yes, I agree, it(s all about money.

Get off the guy already who gives a sh*t if he was arrested for being drunk and naked. He surely didn't kill anybody so what is everybody so bent about? Stupid decision on his part but seriously if I was an advertiser I wouldn't pull his contract.

this is ABSURD! he didn't harm anyone...

You want to give props? Given them to the thousands of musicians who work their behinds off to keep live houses, tiny indie record companies and lots of fans happy. These artists have talent, work hard at perfecting their craft and do most of the sweating and bleeding to keep real music alive in Japan.

Excellent point tkoind2! There are so many street musicians I see out there near train stations that have soooo much talent and the attention is being wasted on those who have no real singing or musical talents like SMAP. Heck, SMAP can't even dance as good as the street dancers I see everyday.

Who strips naked from being drunk?

Presumably he thought he was back in his own home, ready to change clothes, maybe take a shower, and go to sleep..

He was probably drugged anyway. Who strips naked from being drunk? My problem with the guy is all of the apologizing he did afterward. What's he got to be sorry for?

Like I said before, he should just take an extended holiday and relax. Maybe go to a proper Culinary School and then comeback and say something like... "I reflected deeply while chopping onions and shed tears of shame."

Bam! He comes back cleansed and a better cook. :)

Heck, Kumi Koda's been back to work for some time now after insulting all women over 30, I guess Kusanagi will be back to work soon.

what do they say in this country.....49 days and it is all forgotten.

Cleo

as "talento" are so controlled by the agency the costs will probably go to the agency

Ironchef: "give the dude his props--he earned it."

You think he should be given props because he was drunk and disorderly (naked disorderly at that)? No, sir. Give him props on his accomplishments, give him punishment for his crimes. He made his own bed, my friend.

p.s. I don't hate him. I hate his music and the industry that created him.

ironchef. This guy is a product. He was created, marketed and shoved down the collective throats of Japan like just about every other J-pop attrocity.

You want to give props? Given them to the thousands of musicians who work their behinds off to keep live houses, tiny indie record companies and lots of fans happy. These artists have talent, work hard at perfecting their craft and do most of the sweating and bleeding to keep real music alive in Japan.

They don't have PR teams to dream up their personalities for them. Or fashion directors to make sure they fit some marketable appeal. And they don't have the horrific writers of formulaic music designed to sell, sell, sell.

He got drunk. Half the city is drunk on any given night. He got naked, well ok props for creativity there. Otherwise who cares? He's an awful artist, terrible singer, even worst actor and well off and successful. He doesn't need my props or pity. He needs to get help for drinking, his mental state and both singing and acting lessons. Or more of them anyway.

He is not going to have to pay 400 million. That is what they are guessing he could have made. But they may make him and Johnies liable for having to re-shoot promotional with another no talent talento. I do like the guy though. He is my favorite of those SMURP dudes due to the fact that he has taken the time to learn Korean and support cross cultural ties. How many other Japanese do you know that can speak a foreign language.

He has to pay for the damages to the image of the companies who advertised their products along with this guy's image. He also has to pay for the costs of ads production which need to be replaced. I guess Tv companies could also sue him for lost earnings because of ads cancellations! This could add up to billions!

Great! He's out of work for a year. One down, four to go.

And all this only for getting drunk? And OK, naked, but it was 3 am on a weekday, it's not like he went naked to Shibuya crossing at 3:00 pm on a saturday!

I cannot understand the contract penalty clauses either. It must be mistated in someway because contract law normally does not support such a penalty.

I can understand actual damages like the investment in a particular advertising campaign that could not longer be used. More than likely, these would be very high costs and are limited contractually.

Why does Kusanagi have to pay a lot of money? He does/did not cancel any contracts. They do/did it.

I hope the companies involved give SMAP singer Tsuyoshi Kusanagi an easy out. SMAP has helped people in sooooo many ways, each one of them should be given at least one big screw up in their life. They have been up there for sooooo long, one, or even more chances, should be allowed. In the end, the fans and SMAPs friends will decide if streaking nude in Roppongi is an unforgivable indiscretion.

give the dude his props--he earned it.

Get a real job!

If they cancelled him why does he have to pay?

There's usually a clause in the contract that says if either party has a run-in with the law/does anything to cause public scandal/does anything to spoil the image of whatever's being promoted etc, the contract is automatically cancelled and it's the fault of the one who caused the scandal who thus becomes liable for damages.

Or he could become a spokesperson for ALCOHOLICS in Japan and do something worthwhile with his life (like motivating people to seek out treatment for their problems ... drinking or otherwise!)

Time for him to travel the world, take a break, get a life. Stupid that the police tossed his house if their only reasonable suspicion was a drinking problem.

Look. He's a star. Stars fall off the edge now and then.

A smart promoter would use this to both the actor and company's advantage. So heres some advice for them that will save their contracts.

Portray this breakdown as stress from his busy public life. Tie it to some trauma to make is a "kawai so" issue. Have him see a specialist and publicize it. Put him straight back to work. Everyone in Japan loves "Gambarro" behavior. Allow his quick return to work to be a testimony to his regret and let him try to make up for it by not causing any more trouble. Don't forget the apology and low bows before you kick things off.

Failing this. You can at least do the following.

Suspend the entire band for a year. A break from SMAP would be nice. Use the time to teach them to sing. I still am amazed by how guys who sing so poorly can make even change for coffee from performing. Please teach them to dance. (See point 2 and replace sing with dance.) For gods sake please deport or imprison their song writer!!!!!! I've heard better peanutbutter jingles than most SMAP songs. Utter crap!! It escapes words how bad their songs are. Combined with their singing and dancing it should be listed as a crime against humanity. Might be a chance to replace SMAP with some people who actually have talent for music. Like the thousands of talented kids out there performing far more original music with far more capable talents. The great tragedy of Japan is that this is a nation full of brilliant young artists and performers. But you will never see the vast majority of them on the truly public stage. They don't fit the generic plastic mold of dull lifeless pop that the industry here is so addicted to. But if the real talent ever got a chance to shine, maybe Japan's music would have a chance of being the world's music. So add banning SMAPs producers and label to the list of things to do.

Naked and shouting. Maybe his most talented performance to date.

If they cancelled him why does he have to pay?

The contract fee for Kusanagi’s TV commercial appearances in addition to activities as a SMAP member is estimated at 400 million yen.

Grossly overpaid.....