Popular Japanese YouTuber Arrested Again, This Time for Assaulting Ex-Wife

Photo= Mahoto Watanabe Social Media

Former Japanese YouTuber and rapper Mahoto Watanabe was arrested for the third time.

Foreign media outlet Livedoor reported on March 31 that Watanabe was arrested on March 22. He is suspected of assaulting his ex-wife, including knocking her down, from the afternoon of March 21 to the early morning of March 22 in Tokyo.

Though divorced two months before the incident, Watanabe reportedly maintained contact with his ex-wife, with whom he recently welcomed a second child.

Watanabe had previously garnered a large YouTube following (up to two million subscribers), creating content focused on fitness and bodybuilding. However, his channel came to an end in 2019 after his arrest for assaulting a minor living in his household. He issued an apology video and took an eight-month hiatus before returning to YouTube with a new account in February 2020.

In January 2022, he announced his marriage and pregnancy with a former idol group member. Still, soon after, controversy arose when it was revealed that he had asked for explicit videos from a high school fan. In March of the same year, Watanabe was arrested on charges of violating the law prohibiting child prostitution and pornography, released in April, and received a summary order for a fine of approximately $4,450.

Following these controversies, Watanabe’s agency ended its partnership with him, and he announced his retirement from YouTube. He has since transitioned into video editing, working behind the scenes for popular YouTubers.

Watanabe also managed a separate channel for gaming content, but all his various channels are no longer accessible, either due to deletion or termination. His stage name as a rapper was known as BEMA.