Mahoto Watanabe

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Mahoto Watanabe
ワタナベマホト
Born
Mahoto Watanabe (渡辺 摩萌峡, Watanabe Mahoto)[1]

(1992-12-08) December 8, 1992 (age 31)
Saiki, Ōita, Japan
NationalityJapanese
Other names
  • Sashiman
  • Bema[2]
Occupations
  • YouTuber
  • rapper
Years active2011–2021
PartnerYui Imaizumi (2021–present)
Children1
YouTube information
Channels
GenreVlog
Subscribers4.86 million (combined)[a]
Total views2.89 billion (combined)[a]
NetworkUUUM (former)
100,000 subscribers
1,000,000 subscribers
Last updated: January 23, 2021
Musical career
Genres
LabelsNeo Kinder Record
Formerly of
  • Kaiware Hummer

Mahoto Watanabe (ワタナベマホト, Watanabe Mahoto, born December 8, 1992)[2] is a former Japanese YouTuber and rapper. He was part of the hip hop group Kaiware Hummer, releasing music under the stage name Bema.

In January 2021, Watanabe allegedly solicited nude photos from an underage fan, which subsequently caused his agency UUUM to drop him as an act and YouTube to permanently ban his channel.

Career[edit]

When Watanabe was in middle school, he posted on Niconico under the username Sashiman (サシマン).[3] Watanabe began uploading to YouTube in 2011.[4] Watanabe released his debut solo album, Shinryakuteki Sukima, on November 26, 2016.[4] In addition, Watanabe co-authored an autobiography about Kaiware Hummer with fellow members Naru and Imiga titled Kaiware Hummer Monogatari, with the first book released on July 20, 2017 and the second book released on August 31, 2017.[5][6] Watanabe made an appearance on YouTuber Ryoji Takarabe [ja]'s second album Season 2, in which he was a featured artist on the song "Kokomo."[7]

In 2018, Watanabe left Genesis One and signed with UUUM as his network.[8] By June 2019, he had over 2.7 million subscribers on his main channel.[9] After getting arrested on suspicion of battery in the same month, his activities were cancelled for the remainder of the year, including an appearance with Kaiware Hummer at A-nation 2019, while he remained at his agency to do clerical work.[10] On February 7, 2020, UUUM announced that Watanabe would resume activities on February 14, 2020 on a new channel, which was named "Mahoto."[11] On January 22, 2021, UUUM announced that Watanabe had been dismissed from the agency after confirming he solicited nude photos from an underage girl.[12] On January 28, 2021, YouTube suspended his channel for community violations.[13] Following the events, on March 2, 2021, Watanabe issued an apology on Twitter and also announced he was retiring from YouTube.[14]

Since his retirement from YouTube, Watanabe started editing videos for Gardman, a YouTube channel with 2 million subscribers, earning him a million yen a month.[15]

Personal life[edit]

On January 21, 2021, Watanabe announced that he was marrying actress and former Keyakizaka46 member Yui Imaizumi and that they were expecting a child.[4][16] The child, a daughter was born in June 2021. Following Watanabe's 2021 arrest, Imaizumi announced in July 2021 that she would not be registering their marriage and that she would be raising the child herself with support from her family.[17]

Legal troubles[edit]

On June 2, 2019, Watanabe was arrested on suspicion of battery.[18] He had reportedly beat a female acquaintance and stomped on her face during an argument while he was intoxicated.[9][19] On June 19, 2019, he issued an apology and also claimed he reconciled with the victim.[19] On July 18, 2019, UUUM later stated that Watanabe's activities would be suspended, including Kaiware Hummer's appearance at A-nation 2019.[9][10] Instead, he would be doing clerical work within the agency until December 31, 2019, though there were no immediate plans of him returning in January 2020.[9][10] During this period, he was also prohibited from drinking.[10]

On January 21, 2021, the same day where Watanabe announced his marriage to Yui Imaizumi, Japanese YouTuber Korekore posted a live stream video where a 15-year-old girl alleged Watanabe had solicited nude photos from her and then blackmailed her with them, with screenshots of private messages from November 2020.[12] On January 22, 2021, UUUM announced that Watanabe confirmed the reports and was dismissed from the agency.[12][20] The victim later contacted the police, which resulted in Watanabe being arrested on suspicion of forced child prostitution and possession of child pornography on March 17, 2021 after investigation.[1][21][22] He was released on April 2, 2021 and indicted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on April 22 of the same year.[23] On June 14, 2021, he was fined ¥500,000.[24]

On March 22, 2024, Watanabe was arrested on suspicion of allegedly assaulting his ex-wife, including pushing her to the ground, on March 21.[25]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions, sales figures and certifications
Title Year Details Peak chart positions Sales
JPN
Shinryakuteki Sukima (侵略的隙間) 2016
  • Released: November 26, 2016 (2016-11-26)
  • Label: Neo Kinder Record
  • Format: CD
 — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Publications[edit]

Year Title Publisher ISBN
2015 Shu Shu Shu no Hon: Watanabe Mahoto DVD-tsuki 1st Listeners Book (しゅしゅしゅの本~ワタナベマホトDVD付き1stリスナーズBOOK~) Kadokawa ISBN 978-4-0473-0638-7
2016 Nya Nya Nya no Hon: YouTuber Watanabe Mahoto to Kaitachi (にゃにゃにゃの本~YouTuber・ワタナベマホトと猫たち~) Kadokawa ISBN 978-4-0473-4317-7
2017 Kaiware Hummer Monogatari Ue (カイワレハンマー物語・上)[5]
(as co-author) 		Kadokawa ISBN 978-4-0473-4660-4
Kaiware Hummer Monogatari Shita (カイワレハンマー物語・下)[5]
(as co-author) 		Kadokawa ISBN 978-4-0473-4661-1

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Statistics were taken prior to Watanabe's channels, Mahoto Watanabe and Mahoto, being terminated on January 28, 2021.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "元YouTuber「ワタナベマホト」容疑者を逮捕" [Former YouTuber Mahoto Watanabe arrested]. TV Asahi (in Japanese). March 17, 2021. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Bema(ワタナベマホト)のプロフィール" [Bema (Mahoto Watanabe)'s profile]. Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  3. ^ "ワタナベマホト、活動再開を発表 「猛省の様子と生活の改善がみられる」". Kai-You (in Japanese). February 7, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "人気YouTuber・ワタナベマホトが結婚発表 今泉佑唯の妊娠も報告し「すごく楽しみ」". Oricon (in Japanese). January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "「カイワレハンマー物語」YouTuberヒップホップユニットの活動秘話が単行本化". Natalie (in Japanese). July 20, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  6. ^ "【7月20日付】本日発売の単行本リスト". Natalie (in Japanese). July 20, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  7. ^ "YouTuber財部亮治がマホト参加「Kokomo」含む2ndアルバム発売". Natalie (in Japanese). August 18, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  8. ^ "ワタナベマホトなど6組のクリエイターがUUUMに新加入。U-FES.で昨年に続きサプライズ発表！". UUUM (in Japanese). November 12, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d "カイワレハンマーのワタナベマホト、酒に酔って知人をけがさせ活動休止". Natalie (in Japanese). June 19, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d "酒に酔い知人にけが…YouTuberワタナベマホト処分決定 年内謹慎で契約は「改めて判断」". Oricon (in Japanese). July 18, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  11. ^ "人気YouTuber、ワタナベマホトが活動再開へ 「猛省の様子と生活の改善がみられ」判断". Oricon (in Japanese). February 7, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c "UUUM、ワタナベマホトと契約解除 未成年に"わいせつ写真要求"告発受け「概ね内容を認めました」". Oricon (in Japanese). January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  13. ^ "ワタナベマホトのＹｏｕＴｕｂｅアカウント停止「コミュニティガイドラインに違反」". Sankei Sports (in Japanese). January 28, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  14. ^ "ワタナベマホト、YouTuber引退を発表 一連の事件受け「けじめとして」". Oricon (in Japanese). March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  15. ^ "【独自】ワタナベマホト、現在は人気YouTuber『チャンネルがーどまん』の動画編集で月収100万円！芸能界引退の今泉佑唯と子どものために奮闘中か（2ページ目）". 週刊女性PRIME (in Japanese). Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  16. ^ "今泉佑唯が結婚&妊娠を発表 お相手は人気YouTuberのワタナベマホト". Oricon (in Japanese). January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  17. ^ "今泉佑唯、今後も婚姻届提出の予定なし 先月出産第１子のこと考え判断". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). July 5, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  18. ^ "人気YouTuberワタナベマホト、謝罪＆活動休止 「お酒に酔って口論となり、相手にケガを...」". J-Cast News (in Japanese). June 2, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  19. ^ a b "人気YouTuber、ワタナベマホトが活動休止 酒に酔った状態で知人ケガさせ「心から反省」". Oricon (in Japanese). June 23, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  20. ^ "ワタナベマホト、UUUM契約解除". Natalie (in Japanese). January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  21. ^ "元ユーチューバー ワタナベマホト逮捕 わいせつ画像送らせたか" [Former YouTuber Mahoto Watanabe arrested for receiving obscene photo]. NHK (in Japanese). March 17, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  22. ^ Kakizaki, Makoto (March 17, 2021). "Ex-YouTube star arrested in Tokyo for allegedly forcing school girl to send obscene photos". Mainichi Shimbun. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  23. ^ "ワタナベマホトこと渡辺摩萌峡・元ユーチューバーを略式起訴 16歳女子高生に裸の写真送らせた児ポ法製造罪". Chunichi Sports (in Japanese). April 22, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  24. ^ "元人気ユーチューバー渡辺摩萌峡さん 罰金５０万円の略式命令". TBS News (in Japanese). June 14, 2021. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021.
  25. ^ "ユーチューバーの「ワタナベマホト」、元妻に暴行容疑で逮捕　口論か" [YouTuber Mahoto Watanabe arrested on suspicion for assaulting ex-wife, possibly due to argument]. The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
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