29-year-old Nakano resident Tsutaya Matsumoto, popularly known by his pen name Tatsuya Matsuki was arrested for allegedly groping two girls, who were still in their teens.

Why was Tatsuya Matsuki arrested?

On June 18, one girl reported to the police that while walking down the streets of Nakano, she had been touched inappropriately by someone who rode on his bicycle and approached her from behind.

While investigating the CCTV footage, the police found a similar case with another teenager involved an hour after the first incident. Both victims were in the 11-17 age group, hence were still minors.

The suspect looked like Tatsuya Matsuki in both the cases and hence has been arrested. During the interrogation regarding the CCTV footage, Matsuki told the police there’s “generally nothing incorrect” with their accusations.

Who is Tatsuya Matsuki?

Tatsuya Matsuki is the author of Act-Age manga, serialised in Weekly Shounen Jump. He is a resident of the Nakano ward of Tokyo.

Act-Age Manga

Act-Age manga serialised in Weekly Shounen Jump since 2018, was being published by Shueisha, illustrated by Shiro Usazaki and written by Tatsuya Matsuki.

It was about to receive a stage-play adaptation titled Act-Age: Night on the Galactic Railroad in 2022, which was announced on June 1, 2020.

It ranked #6 in ‘Most Wanted Anime Adaptation’ poll conducted by AnimeJapan and was even nominated for Best Shounen Manga at the 43rd annual Kodansha Manga Awards in April 2019.

Despite being well-received, due to this incident, the manga is getting its last chapter on August 11, 2020.

Weekly Shounen Jump’s Stand

On August 8, Shounen Jump made an online statement on Twitter stating  ‘The Editorial Department takes this matter regarding the author very seriously and appropriate actions would be taken after confirmation of the facts’ and apologized to the readers for the inconvenience.

Later, they gave a statement saying that after discussing with the artist Usazaki, they’ve decided it is impossible to continue the manga. They also stated that ‘after receiving so much support, it was really unfortunate that it had to end this way.’ They have realised the responsibility that they have to bear towards society.

As the manga was constantly increasing in popularity, the large fan base was left disheartened over this unfortunate but inevitable turn of events.

Some similar cases

Previously there have been cases like these, where the serialisation has continued or resurfaced nevertheless:

• (2017/2018)

Nobuhiro Watsuki, the author of Rurouni Kenshin, was found in possession of child pornography and was hence fined $1888 by The Tokyo Public Prosecutors Office.

– His series is still being published by Jump Square, titled ‘Rurouni Kenshin: The Hokkaido Arc’.

• (2002)

Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro, author of Toriko was given a two years sentence for soliciting an underaged girl for sex. His work ‘Seikimatsu Leader Den Takeshi!’ was cancelled in Weekly Shounen Jump.

– He returned to Jump in 2008 authoring Toriko and continues to write one-shots for the company.

Such acts of molestation are shameful and should be condemned. Weekly Shounen Jump, being one of the platforms with the widest reach in the society, especially among the youngsters, needs to lead by example.

The safety of girls needs to be prioritised to make this world a better place to live in!

PS: The ongoing popular pun on his arrest is ‘wish he had acted his age’.