Police recently arrested a man suspected of making death threats against popular comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto (45) of the duo Downtown. Katsumi Sakurai (35), an unemployed male from Saitama, allegedly posted multiple comments on an internet message board stating that he would kill Matsumoto.

A total of 38 messages were written on the message board on July 6-7, sent from the man's mobile phone. The messages included lines such as "I'm a fanatic of Matsumoto. I am going to kill him."

According to his agency Yoshimoto Kogyo, an employee discovered the messages later that month and notified Matsumoto. Because of his concern for his pregnant wife, he reported the incident to police.

The suspect Sakurai admitted guilt, saying that he did it for fun and a bit of fame. He stated that Matsumoto was not chosen for any specific reason - it could have been anyone, as long as it was a celebrity.

Yoshimoto Kogyo is reportedly hoping for the criminal to be severely punished.