Ryotaro Shimizu, the son of the impersonator Akira Shimizu and a talent, appeared on ABEMA's variety show "Hyena of Love Season 3" (Tuesdays at 11pm) on February 18th. Ryotaro, who was arrested in 2017 for violating the Stimulants Control Act, candidly talked about the circumstances of the incident and the conflict between father and son immediately after his arrest.
On the show, Nagisa Nasake, a former member of the comedy duo "Amakami Inter," interviewed Ryotaro. When asked "Why did you turn to stimulants?", Ryotaro explained that it was because he was suspended for nine months for illegal gambling. "During my suspension, a bad senior said to me, 'You must be bored. Bring me some snacks,' and those snacks were drugs," he confessed.
Regarding the circumstances that led to his arrest, it was what happened after he met the woman at a hotel. When he left the hotel and ran into police officers who were on the lookout, he denied it, saying, "I didn't do it." However, he was taken to the police station where he was taken, where he took a urine test, and was released that day. The next day, when he was at home with his wife and child, the police came with an arrest warrant... Ryotaro recounted in detail.
He recalled, "I looked down on everything at the time of the incident. I looked down on my family, the world, the entertainment industry, other people, my wife, parents, friends, who were all looking after me. I looked down on them." Regarding his salary at the time, he confessed, "I was getting paid about 1 million yen per job, and on average 7 or 8 jobs a month. At the time, I was in the same agency as my father, so even if you split it, I was earning 3 to 4 million yen a month. I was really getting carried away."
Five days after his arrest, Ryotaro met with Akira at the police station. In order to teach him the harshness of the world, Akira decided not to pay bail, but upon hearing this, Ryotaro said, "It was still hard, only a week after I was in. All I could think about was getting out. I felt like I'd been sold."
However, Akira persuaded Ryotaro. "At the end of the meeting, the two of them clasped hands through the plastic. He said, 'You do your best. I'll sort out the rest,' and he left," Ryotaro recalled. After seeing his father like that, he added, "I went back to my cell and cried for about an hour. It was the first time in my life that I felt a parent's love."
Currently, he has resumed his activities from street performances with the aim of performing with his father again. He said his goal is to "stand on stage (with Akira) once more." The program is being streamed for free on ABEMA until the 25th.
