Richard Keita Kusama (29) of the popular idol group A!group was arrested on October 4 at around 5:30 a.m. on suspicion of indecent exposure of the lower half of his body at the entrance of a multi-tenant building in Shinjuku, Tokyo. He was released on August 6 and appeared in front of the press in a black suit and tearfully apologized. The incident occurred less than a year and a half after the group’s debut, just when the group was about to make its debut… Kusama was born in Kyoto to an American father and a Japanese mother. group in February 2019 and made his major label debut in May 2024. As a solo artist, he has appeared on the popular variety show “The! DASH! (Nippon Television Network Corporation). DASH!” (Nippon Television Network Corporation), where he steadily gained popularity for his physical challenges, especially in projects such as “DASH Island. The group’s first key station-produced program, “A!group’s Q&A! (Fuji Television Network) was scheduled to start on October 12, but it was reported that it would be reshot with four members excluding Kusama due to the recent arrest. In addition, the movie “Osomatsu-san: Mankind Becoming Scum (!!!!!?),” in which the group will play the lead roles, is scheduled to be released in January next year. The movie “Osomatsu-san: Mankind’s Scummification Plan ……” starring the group will be released in January next year. In the October 9 issue of Shukan Bunshun (Bungeishunju), a friend of Kusama’s testified that Kusama “often escapes to drink when she feels stressed and has a habit of taking off her clothes when she gets drunk. It also reported that Kusama was having a hard time performing with Taichi Kokubun (51), who is on indefinite suspension due to a compliance violation that was discovered in June of this year. Kusama has been a “helper” on DASH Island since the spring of 2019 and is currently one of the main members of the program. However, according to Bunshun, Kusama was feeling pressure to work with Kokubun and was consulting with those around her, according to an employee of a key station. There may have been a relationship that could not be seen from the surface” (sports newspaper reporter).
