Japan’s Toei Closes Tokyo Studio After Coronavirus Infection
By Mark Schilling
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) –
Toei closed its Tokyo studio Tuesday after actor Reo Komiya was diagnosed with the coronavirus.
The star of the “Mashin Sentai Kiramager,” a sci-fi/action show broadcast on the TV Asahi network, seventeen-year-old Komiya tested positive for the virus while shooting new episodes at the studio. His condition is not known at the present time.
A fashion model, and a member of the pop group Zero Planet, Komiya was cast as the star of the show, playing the leader of a band of five super-powered warriors. The show has been airing on TV Asahi since March 8 of this year and enough episodes have been completed to continue broadcasts through May.
Komiya was absent from the set with illness starting on Friday and the studio received word of his positive diagnosis on Monday evening.
Located in the suburb of Oizumigakuen the studio makes both TV serial dramas and films. Four shoots were underway at the time of the closure.
The studio was disinfected Tuesday, but a reopening date depends on the decision of health officials. Other studios in the Tokyo area have yet to announce closures.
