Overview
- The Tokyo District Court on Thursday ordered Space Craft to pay about ¥2.06 million to actor Akinobu Shinoyama for consumption-tax amounts the agency did not pass on from appearance fees.
- Judges concluded the agency’s contract and accounting practices implied an agreement to pay consumption tax on the talent’s 60% share and that keeping those tax amounts amounted to unjust enrichment.
- The disputed sums relate at least to fiscal years 2014–2018, and Shinoyama had reported and borne those consumption-tax costs when filing his tax returns.
- Space Craft’s representative declined to comment and said the firm is considering its response, and no appeal has been publicly announced so far.
- The case drew on the clearer invoicing rules introduced in October 2023 and follows government guidance aimed at curbing unfair agency practices, a development that could prompt other performers to review past payments.