is a Japanese comedian and television presenter. He first became popular as part of a

manzai is a traditional style of comedy in Japanese culture comparable to double act comedy. usually involves two performers ()—a straight man () and a double act, funny man ()—trading jokes at great speed. Most of the jokes revolve around mut ...

duo formed with his on-stage partner Matsumoto Ryusuke. The duo was active between 1976 and 1985. In 1991 he directed the film '' Kaze, Slow Down''. Shimada played an important role for keeping the popularity for contemporary manzai alive - for many years he was the driving force behind the popular manzai competition M-1 Grand Prix. On August 23, 2011, Shinsuke Shimada announced his retirement after admitting to extensive ties to the

yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media (by request of the police) call them , while the yakuza call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ''yak ...

, Japan's

organized crime Organized crime is a category of transnational organized crime, transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a f ...

. The yakuza's dominance in the entertainment industry was a subject that has long been a taboo."Ties to the Yakuza Are No Laughing Matter"
26 August 2011,

Jake Adelstein Joshua Lawrence "Jake" Adelstein (born March 28, 1969) is an American journalist, crime writer, and blogger who has spent most of his career in Japan. He is the author of '' Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan'', which i ...

, ''

The Atlantic Wire ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 ...

References

1956 births Japanese male comedians Japanese film directors Japanese television personalities Mass media people from Kyoto Entertainers from Kyoto Living people Japanese male actors {{japan-bio-stub

See also

References