Maya Imamori has been let go from "No. 1 Sentai Gozyuger"
Toei's Press Release:
Apology and announcement regarding the cast of "No. 1 Sentai Gozyuger" Thank you very much for watching our program "No. 1 Sentai Gozyuger." It has come to light that Maya Imamori, who appeared in "No. 1 Sentai Gozyuger," has engaged in conduct that violates the law prohibiting the consumption of alcohol by persons under the age of 20. We deeply apologize for the great concern and inconvenience caused to our viewers, as well as to the program's sponsors and other related parties. 1. Background We have received a report from Maya Imamori's agency regarding her drinking behavior while under the age of 20. 2. Program response We take this situation very seriously and, from the perspective of ensuring strict compliance, have decided to take the following measures. Termination of performance contract and withdrawal: We have discussed with TV Asahi the termination of Imamori Maya's performance contract, and she will be withdrawing from "No. 1 Sentai Gozyuger." 3. Preventing recurrence and attitude towards program production Going forward, we will strengthen cooperation with relevant parties to ensure that performers are given thorough guidance on social responsibility and ethics, and we will also re-educate all parties involved in program production on compliance awareness in an effort to produce even more reliable programs. We would like to once again apologize for damaging the trust of our viewers.
Maya Imamori's Statement:
I would like to offer my sincere apologies for the inconvenience and concern I have caused to so many people due to my thoughtless actions. Drinking alcohol while underage is a very shameful act both as a member of society and as an individual, and is not acceptable for any reason. I am keenly aware of the gravity of my actions and am deeply remorseful. I would like to once again apologize to all the fans who have supported me, all the people involved, and all the works and co-stars I have appeared in for the great inconvenience I have caused. Through this incident, I have reflected on my own immaturity, taken seriously the fact that I betrayed people's trust, and will sincerely reexamine my way of life so that this kind of thing never happens again. We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused. November 8, 2025 Maya Imamori
Iām justātoo upset by this. Iāve been scrolling on Twitter X for like an hour and Iāve even seen absolutely everyone disagree with this decision. As a Westerner where the legal drinking age is 19, ofc itās a shock to us that sheās punished even for this. We are unfortunately very used to seeing women in the industry being mistreated for worse. Yes, she holds responsibility to respect the law, but sheās this young and neither her agency or Toei has protected her. Terminating her contract is such a severe punishment.
Sheās a minor. Technically, we should also note how she was served alcohol too because there can also be another extension at fault here.
Whatās crazier is when I watch older sentai seasons, Iāve seen representations of alcohol so many times, and the drunken state as well (Dekaranger, Gekiranger, even the latest Gozyuger episode, hello????) That was a shock to me because I didnāt expect it from Japan, but when I was younger, already my first impression is that alcoholism was openly marketed towards kids.
This is just so weird to me. Sheās also half Filipina. Iām Filipino so I was very excited to watch her entire journey, but ever since the rumours a few months ago from an affair with a suit actor (which Iām pretty sure just timed weirdly from him stepping down due to another reason), sheās been targeted from the get go.
Also, apparently itās her agency (SeJu) that reported this to Toei? And I literally saw another scandal from another girl in their agency for an affair with an older man. Aināt that interesting š Itās like this agency is actively trying to ruin these girlsā reputations. Remember what they say, āany publicity is good publicityā, but this is just insane and immoral. Thereās also NO photos or videos, this is just a straight up report from her agency??? While itās not the best excuse, this girl has gone through the worst tabloids Iāve seen of any female Sentai actress. She hasnāt been promoted or included in any Gozyuger activitiesā I canāt imagine how stressed and upset sheās been.
Whether itās blatant racism or misogyny, I wouldnāt be surprised. I am just extremely, EXTREMELY disappointed that a show thatās about cherishing and protecting their youth, has failed to do so as of lately. Even previous Sentai actors have spoken outāBouken Blackās Yasuka Saito for instance;
Another Toku actor, Kamen Rider Agitoās response:
For anyone concerned that her own costars havenāt spoken out (aside from Bouquetās actress slightly alluding to it), I wouldnāt go as far as to blame them. They were definitely ordered to not speak on the subject, and or theyāre protecting their own contracts too. While it is the RIGHT thing to do, to speak out, we see how severe the punishments can be. Theyāre still following her on social media too. I hope theyāre all able to keep their friendships.
I fully support Maya. It is so disheartening that theyāre making this decision when thereās barely any episodes left of Gozyuger, and sheās made such an impact on the show already. Sheās our only female heroine this seasonāwhat about that doesnāt tell you why we need her?
These agencies need to do better.
