Actress Izumi Pinko is being sued over remarks she made at a stage greeting for the films AYUMI and Yōfu, the production company Human Pictures announced on November 2. The company said it filed for damages with the Tokyo District Court, arguing that comments made at the October 23 event may amount to serious power harassment — the abuse of a superior's position.
According to Human Pictures, Izumi called one woman in the audience "babaa" — a blunt term for an old woman — and said things including "go home" and "I'm a huge veteran." The remarks left a performer on stage kneeling in apology, the company said. In a statement on its official X account, it said it wants the facts established in court.
Izumi, 79, is known for unfiltered talk. Social media split over the remarks, with some calling them her usual style and others writing that she showed no respect for her co-stars, or that she is now a burden of an older generation.
In Atami, a familiar character
Izumi has said in interviews that she lives in Atami, a hot-spring resort city in Shizuoka Prefecture, having moved there about 15 years ago at the invitation of screenwriter Sugako Hashida, whom she called "Mama" and who died at 95.
A restaurant employee in the city described her as easygoing and part of the local crowd. "The last time she came was when she won some award," the employee said. "She came with a few neighbors and was the center of the group, livening everyone up. She has never caused a scene here, and she is a valued customer."
Someone who spotted her at a steakhouse she frequents recalled hearing a loud "an'ta ne!" from a private room and recognizing the voice. "When she came out of the restroom I thought, of course it's her," the person said. "She speaks like a true Edokko — a Tokyo native — so I knew her instantly even from behind. She gave me a small nod as we passed. Not high-handed at all."
The owner of a beauty salon in Atami that Hashida used said Izumi had never been a customer and that Hashida never mentioned her. "Her reputation around here isn't much different from the character you see on TV," the owner said. "Maybe this is just her having no front and no back."
Human Pictures has announced the suit, but no hearings have been reported. The question of where an off-the-cuff remark at a promotional event stops being opinion and starts being defamation now sits with the courts.