Scandals can send a celebrity¡¯s career careening off a cliff. This is especially true in Japan, where minor violations of the social code can lead to major personal repercussions.
But even by Japanese standards the fallout from the June 2 arrest of actor Ryo Hashizume, 30, for stimulants possession was extreme. On June 5, the production committee for ¡°Tatara Samurai,¡± a period drama in which Hashizume has a supporting role, decided to withdraw the film from 280 theaters, effective June 9. (The decision has since been altered ¡ª more on that in a bit.)
On June 7, Ryo¡¯s far more famous father, 75-year-old Isao Hashizume, issued a statement to the media apologizing for ¡°causing a lot of trouble and worry for everyone due to the incident involving my son Ryo.¡± He added that ¡°(My son) is an adult, so I want him to properly deal with this on his own.¡±
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