Prosecutors have decided not to charge a Japanese pop star who was arrested for allegedly getting naked while drunk in a Tokyo park, media reports said Friday (May 1).
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, a 34-year-old member of the popular group SMAP, would not be charged because he apologized, Kyodo News agency reported. Kusanagi was released and apologized in a televised news conference the day after his arrest last Friday.
Prosecutors declined to confirm the report.
Kusanagi allegedly sat on the grass, stark naked and heavily intoxicated, with his clothes neatly folded up several feet away from him.
Kusanagi admitted he drank too much Japanese rice wine and beer before going to the park and said he had no idea why he undressed himself. He said he will voluntarily refrain from public appearances for an unspecified period of time to take responsibility for his actions.
Public indecency carries a penalty of up to six months in prison and a fine of up to 300,000 yen ($3,060).
Companies and TV stations dropped him from endorsements and programming following the incident, which was front-page news in Japan.
Kusanagi surged to stardom following his debut in 1991 with the five-member SMAP, which dominated Japan’s pop music scene, and starred in TV dramas and films. Kusanagi, fluent in Korean, is also popular in South Korea.
