Japanese Miss International files stalking charges against talent agent

The Japanese winner of the Miss International last year pageant is fighting back against a talent agent that she claims has stalked and threatened her - a highly unusual tactic in Japan’s murky entertainment industry.

“Harassment and intimidation from one man has deprived me of the role of Miss International,” she wrote. “I have had to fight back tears of mortification.

“The man is the executive of a top talent agency and an influential figure in the media and entertainment industries,” she said. “This is the person who has stalked me for the past year - harassing me, intimidating me, threatening me and obstructing my business.

“We have tried to endure this situation patiently, but the acts have escalated,” she wrote, adding that her assailant had also threatened the organisers of the Miss International pageant.

Yoshimatsu does not name the man she accuses of threatening her and her family in the post, but last week she filed criminal and civil charges against Genichi Taniguchi accusing him of attempting to ruin her career.