Minako Komukai

Despite court order, Minako Komukai goes ahead with plans for strip show

Thursday 04th June, 01:00 PM JST

TOKYO —

The management agency where ex-talento Minako Komukai, 24, was once contracted, filed a cease and desist order against her this week after learning of her plans to perform in a strip show in Asakusa. Komukai received a suspended sentence in February for illegal stimulant use.

According to the management agency, Komukai’s contract was dissolved last September. At that time, the two parties had created a written agreement that Komukai would cease her activities in the entertainment industry, including nude modeling and adult videos.

Komukai is currently scheduled to perform at strip club Asakusa Rockza from Friday. The club commented, “We haven’t received any notification, and have no idea what is going on.”

There seems to be no plans to cancel the show, however, and as of Wednesday evening, a poster advertising Komukai’s upcoming performance remained on the wall near the entrance of the club.

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Latest 15 of 64 Total Comments Show All

alargo at 09:44 AM JST - 5th June

Japanese ex-talento--A female Japanese television personality after recovering from breast cancer?

How does someone who had no talent in the first place become an "ex-talento"? She she lose her non-talent? --herefornow

I believe that you are suffering from a lack of perspective. From the perspective of the link provided by northlondon, she appears to have a great deal of natural talent. Maybe she is really becoming an ex-notalento. It is all in how you look at things.

So the evidence so far:
--The Smap guy doesn't get charged and doesn't lose his contract after his nude display in the park under the influence of ???.
--Minako Komukai loses her contract and is told to keep her clothes on.

Would this, among other things, demonstrate some proclivity toward male nudeness on the part of the Japanese public? Are male foreigners more interested in female bodies than their Japanese counterparts? Does this explain all the peeping going on in the public restroom?
flatearther at 09:49 AM JST - 5th June

womanforwomen- I am offended by your "cheap" judgement call on another person, as a woman.
Instead of taking potshots at a defenseless woman who has chosen a sad career path from your chair, why don't you work towards improving the lot of women in this country?
If pornography offends you so much, why not work towards getting it removed from your local kombini instead of resorting to calling another woman cheap?
Remember the old adage, "Judge not, lest you be judged", it applies to most things, including pornography.
Yelnats at 06:14 PM JST - 5th June

I got a front row seat for this show. I got connections. Anyone else going?

Moderator: Unfortunately, you won't be seeing anything. The show has been put on hold.
bdiego at 06:33 PM JST - 5th June

That's too bad, we were all looking forward to seeing her talents. Well, except for miss spoilsport in the corner.
PepinGalarga at 12:12 AM JST - 6th June

there is a type of clause called "non-compete" which prevents you from doing certain things after the termination of a contract. The enforceability of these is usually prescribed in either existing laws or court rulings.

Sometimes these non-compete can be for 1-2 years, however, beyond that, they are usually not enforceable and if this is determined, then the entire clause may be invalid.
pawatan at 12:43 AM JST - 6th June

there is a type of clause called "non-compete" which prevents you from doing certain things after the termination of a contract. The enforceability of these is usually prescribed in either existing laws or court rulings.

A non-compete is generally only in effect when you resign, not when you're canned. It's ludicrous to have a legal contract that says "Non only can't you work for us, you can't work for anyone."

I suppose if she were bought out of her contract mutually rather than fired it would be a different situation, but I didn't get that impression at all from the stories at the time she was fired.
sydenham at 07:46 AM JST - 6th June

flatearther, you are under the misguided belief that all women are somehow "sisters," which is just as ridiculous as the expectation that some men have about other men understanding their hatred of all women.

As far as I'm concerned, your adage is one of the most ridiculous things ever proposed. It is human nature to judge the behavior of others. It is the basis of all of our laws, and keeps societies running (rather) smoothly. Komukai is no more defenseless than any other member of society, and if she chooses a "sad" career path, that is her choice, and she will be judged by society for this choice. That is reality. That is what it means to be human.
electric2004 at 11:47 PM JST - 6th June

PepinGalarga:

What you are describing makes perfect sense in a working environment known and expected in Western countries, for example in Europe.

Combined with "non-competition" is usually that the company has to pay some money, in the order of half of the normal salary for the non-competition period. Here in the article, it does not say that she received money.

I expect that she was somehow "hard-pressed" to sign the mentioned agreement - for example, something "unwanted" might happen to family members. Or, in old Al Capone style, she received an offer she could not decline.
sydenham at 12:06 AM JST - 7th June

I think they usually also entail working for competing companies, where you could give one company's secrets to their competitor. However, when the company secret is what you look like naked, I think all deals, and clothes, are off.
memyselfI at 12:10 PM JST - 7th June

Ｔｈｅ　ｗｏｍｅｎ　ｉｓ　ｂｏｒｉｎｇ　ａｎｄ　ｎｏｔ　ｇｏｏｄ　ｌｏｏｋｉｎｇ．　Ｈａｓ　ｔｈｅ　ｐｅｒｓｏｎａｌｉｔｙ　ｏｆ　ａ　ｃａｒｄｂｏａｒｄ　ｂｏｘ．Ｏｆ　ｃｏｕｒｓｅ　ｓｈｅ　ｆｅｌｌ　ｏｆｆ．　Ｗｈｏ　ｃａｒｅｓ，　ｍｏｖｅ　ｏｎ　ｔｏ　ｎｅｘｔ　ｓｔｏｒｙ．　Ｓｈｅ　ｉｓ　ａ　ｓｋｉｎｎｙ　ｐａｐｅｒ　ｔｈｉｎ　ｇｉｒｌ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｆａｋｅ　ｂｉｇ　ｂｏｏｂｓ．
elbudamexicano at 12:05 AM JST - 8th June

Fake? Maybe, but come on, she isn't that bad looking. Would I go out and pay 8,000 yen, hell no!
Nessie at 05:51 PM JST - 9th June

Nessie, that's good to know: Contracts mean absolutely nothin' in Japan. Endless possibilities have just opened up for me.

I'm not saying they mean nothing. I'm saying they're usually full of unenforcable provisions posing as enforcable rules. And the legal parts of the contract are still enforcable even if the contract includes unenforcable provisions.

The other part of the non-compete issue is the broadness of the clause: "cease activities in the entertainment industry" is not the same as agreeing not to work for a competitor. Does her ex-agency make porn videos? If not, then the non-compete does not apply.
flatearther at 06:24 PM JST - 9th June

sydenham- "Judge not, lest ye be judged" is not my adage (though I wouldn't mind taking credit, it's a few thousand years older than I am.
As far as judgement is concerned in this case, leave it to the courts.
I made a logical point that if this woman was so concerned with the life of a human being that she doesn't even know, she should work towards improving the environment that caused this woman to be so "cheap" (her words, not mine).
BTW, society is created by individuals, so let's all try to work towards a better society, 'kay?
rogerbentham at 02:51 AM JST - 10th June

she needs the money, hence the strip. next up, hooker-time.
Nessie at 05:40 PM JST - 10th June

She pulled a reverse-Piaf with a half twist.