Film production company HumanPictures said on November 3 that it has sued actor Izumi Pinko, 79, in the Tokyo District Court over her conduct at an October 23 stage greeting, conduct the company says may amount to power harassment.
The company issued a statement under its own name. It said the suit was filed on November 2 over "a series of events" at the greeting for the films AYUMI and Yofu.
Kazuhiro Teranishi directed and wrote both films. HumanPictures apologized to the audience, the cast, staff and press for the trouble and worry the events caused.
The company said it has received many protests and opinions about Izumi's remarks from customers who were in the hall and from media figures. It singled out her insulting a customer from the stage.
A co-star's dogeza
According to the statement, Izumi said she would "go home," would not "come out" and would not "line up together" with another performer on stage. She also said, "I am a great veteran." The performer eventually performed a dogeza — a deep apology made kneeling with the head to the floor.
Footage and accounts of the greeting spread on X and elsewhere after the event. AYUMI depicts the life of the physician Masuda Ayumi, who also took the stage.
When Masuda's turn to speak came, Izumi was heard to mutter, "She's too fat, that one." Online comments included "That's not a bit, it's just dissing a co-star" and "I felt really awful."
Another comment read: "She's trying to liven up the room with Showa- and Heisei-era timing, and it's landing flat and putting people off."