This top actor divorced due to his affair with a minor, got kicked out of the agency after calling his girlfriend to the filming set 

Japanese actor Masahiro Higashide, who caused a stir after having an affair with Karata Erika who appeared in the K-drama “Arthdal Chronicles,” was cut off from his agency.

Japanese entertainment agency Yumanite said, “From Feb 14th, our exclusive contract with Masahiro Higashide is terminated.”

Masahiro Higashide was at the center of controversy after it was revealed that he had an affair with Erika Karata, who acted together with him in the 2020 film “Asako.” Since then, the two have admitted their extramarital affair and apologized, saying, “I am reflecting on myself and repenting.”

Since then, Masahiro Higashide has returned to the entertainment industry amid controversy. However, it has been belatedly revealed that he called his girlfriend A to the Hiroshima Hotel where he was staying for filming in October last year, which has been criticized by public opinion.

Although he resumed his activities with the help of various insiders during his affair, the agency at the time also said, “We have checked with him, and it seems that this is all true,” adding, “We agree it is not the right behavior.”

The agency eventually terminated its contract with Masahiro Higashide. It said, “We have been doing our best to deal with the problem of Masahiro Higashide over the past two years. As we seriously focus on acting work after work, we thought that we might be able to find the possibility of Masahiro Higashide’s revival as an actor someday. Naturally, we thought he would be going with the same mindset as us.”

The agency also pointed out that the trust between them were all broken after Masahiro Higashide called his girlfriend to the set last fall.

The agency said, “The path to revival was ruined by Higashide’s lack of consideration last fall. At that time, what we felt was emptiness and despondency rather than anger. And after careful consideration, we came to the conclusion that we couldn’t be together anymore. This decision was an anguished choice.”

“His exclusive contract ends, but there are also a few undisclosed works (filmed by Masahiro Higashide),” the company said. “I hope he can re-identify what’s important to him and return soon.”

Masahiro Higashide is also well known in Korea for his movies “The Confidence Man JP”, “Wife of a Spy”, “Asako”, and “Walking Invaders”. He married Ken Watanabe‘s daughter Anne, a famous Japanese actor, but they eventually divorced after his affair with Erika Karata was discovered.