Actor News
Counter Claims Against Yui Asakura
Sources surrounding Asakura’s case makes counter claims against her allegations.
Yui Asakura (Hana/Kamen Rider Aguilera in Kamen Rider Revice) left her agency, LIBERA, at the end of August 2022. Earlier in the year, the gossip magazine FRIDAY reported that her contract was terminated because of misbehavior. Since then, there have been a series of other reports citing things such as her tardiness, LINE*-blocking of her co-stars, and work-related cancellations such as her photobook. She was recently interviewed by Bunshun Online about the situation, but several counter claims have since been made against her.
*LINE is a commonly used text messaging app in Japan.
Behind the Scenes on Kamen Rider Revice
According to a source close to production, Asakura requested that the script be changed during the show:
“The stalker incident has nothing to do with her on-set allegations. She said ‘many of my co-stars are looking at me lewdly.’ Of course, that wasn’t the case. They were just communicating with each other as co-stars. It seems like she read too much into it. We wanted to continue filming with what we had, but Asakura continued to push things. She wanted us to eliminate her scenes with the actors in question. Since we couldn’t change much in a production that had already started, we had to position everyone apart in scenes where there are multiple actors.”
Another source close to production added:
“Because of her actions and her claims, true or not, she caused the production schedule to change. All because of word that someone on staff was making her feel uncomfortable.”
On September 23, 2022, more insider sources revealed more information regarding Asakura and her claims:
“She was originally in an idol group called ‘Nanabun no Nijuuni (22/7)’, under the name Mei Hanakawa. She was well known for being late and making last-minute cancellations. After she quit the group in 2019, she worked in a members-only lounge in Nishiazabu, Tokyo. It’s less of a bar-like place but more of a place where you tend to customers. It’s a really secluded shop where she was scouted by the President of Libera. But her troublesome behavior didn’t end there. And of course her tardiness and last-minute cancellations continued, and her manager worked hard to apologize on her behalf each and every time. They were a veteran in their mid-30s with a long history in the industry, but he quit after a mental breakdown this past May (2022). I hear he isn’t even in the entertainment industry anymore.”
“Asakura claims she had financial issues with her agency, but she was treated exceptionally well for a newcomer. Her initial salary was 250,000 yen a month but she said that wasn’t enough money so her salary increased to 300,000 yen a month. And the agency paid, as a business expense, for her hair removal and other beauty treatments. We even paid her a certain percentage for her photobook and other sales (according to the Bunshun article, the split was 50-50). I heard that her her most recent figure was around 2,000,000 yen.”
“Asakura claims that her agency didn’t reach out to the police, but that can’t be true. She said she went to the authorities in her area to file a criminal complaint and told them that her doorbell was going off incessantly and that she’s being tormented by a stalker, but they didn’t accept the report. I heard that the police investigated and found that the person ringing her doorbell was just an Uber Eats deliverer. The police told her to take care of it herself. Apparently, Asakura was there at the police station when they told her this, and looked downward and continued to claim that she has a stalker.”
