Man arrested for making multiple death threats against Hitoshi Matsumoto

by Chris MaGee

It was only at the end of August that news came out about a threat against the life of actress Aya Ueto, and now an even bigger star has become the focal point of bizarre threats on his life. Hitoshi Matsumoto, one half of the famed comedy duo Downtown, and the director of "Big Man Japan (Dainipponjin)" and the upcoming "Symbol" (above), has recently had an obsessed fan making disturbing threats online, so disturbing that it prompted Japanese authorities to take the suspect into custody.

According to this report posted at Tokyograph 35-year-old Katsumi Sakurai, an unemployed man living in Saitama Prefecture, posted a total of 38 threats against the 45-year-old comedic superstar on an online messageboard stating that, "I'm a fanatic of Matsumoto. I am going to kill him." Since being arrested though Sakurai has said that the threats were only a joke and that he held no special grudge against Matsumoto. Of course Matsumoto's management agency isn't buying it and is hoping that Sakurai gets a severe penalty for his "joke". Matsumoto himself has made no statement on the threats.