The Kyobashi Kagetsu in Osaka seats about 500, and the Yoshimoto Shinagawa Prince in Tokyo seats about 300. Both theaters showcased exclusively Yoshimoto acts.

The company, which is headquartered in Osaka, is Japan’s premier agency for comedians.

The closings come at the end of a difficult year for Yoshimoto, exemplified by the retirement of its biggest star, Shinsuke Shimada, in August. Shimada was forced to leave show business after it was reported that the comedian, who hosted and had a hand in producing six popular TV variety shows, had ties to organized crime.

In October, a new law went into effect giving the police greater powers in prosecuting organizations with links to so-called yakuza groups, and it’s believed Yoshimoto didn’t want the authorities looking into its business affairs.

It’s a given in Japan that the yakuza are involved in one way or another in the Japanese entertainment business, especially with regard to live performances.

Several weekly magazines have reported that Yoshimoto has not paid many of its clients for months due to cash flow problems, though the company denies that it can’t pay its debts.

In 2010, Yoshimoto de-listed from the Osaka and Tokyo stock exchanges prior to merging with a consortium of TV networks called Quantum, a move that forced it to buy outstanding shares of Yoshimoto stock.

It had to borrow more than 30 billion yen ($390 million) to carry out the move.

Media have also hinted that the de-listing was in anticipation of the police crackdown, as the accounts of all public companies are subject to scrutiny. Yoshimoto claims that the merger with Quantum is being done to help Yoshimoto become more flexible and succeed in the international entertainment market.

Another major talent agency, Hori Productions, also de-listed recently, and also had to deny assertions that it was doing so to sidestep the new anti-yakuza laws. The president of the company told Toyo Keizai business magazine that Hori had severed its ties with gangsters before it became a listed company almost 25 years go. In any event, after each of these two companies de-listed, the stock price of Avex Holdings, another big entertainment firm, rose considerably.

Perhaps as an indication of how desperate Yoshimoto is, at a Jan. 4 event to commemorate the company’s 100th anniversary, company president Hiroshi Osaki told reporters he hoped Shimada would return to show business soon.

The agency reportedly received hundreds of calls the next day from people protesting Shimada’s return, and TV stations who used to pay big money for Shimada’s services told reporters they thought it was too early to make such a statement.