Japan’s latest celebrity sexual assault case

Shinji Saito was handed over to prosecutors on Monday after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman and having non-consensual sex with her on a bus at the filming location, investigative sources revealed on Monday. Saito, 41, a member of comedy trio Jungle Pocket, admitted the charges. According to reports, he explain“This was a reckless act that caused trouble for the other person and my own family.” The victim said she will no way can Forgive the comedian for what he did. His agency, Yoshimoto Industries, terminated his contract. Saito’s case is the latest in a series of recent sexual assault scandals involving celebrity and well-known figures in the Japanese entertainment industry.

Hitoshi Matsumoto

At the end of last year, Weekly Wenchun The Weekly published a report citing two women who claimed Hitoshi Matsumoto, one half of the popular comedy duo Downtown, forced himself on them at a private party at an upscale Tokyo hotel in 2015 engage in sexual activity. One of the accusers claimed, while others claimed she was forcibly kissed. Matsumoto strenuously denies the accusations. “I will fight because this is completely unfounded,” he wrote X. He added, “I want to take a break because I can’t be involved in comedy and trials at the same time as I am now.” In January, Matsumoto sued the publisher of Bungeishunqiu Weekly Wenchunclaiming that publishing the story defamed him. He is seeking 550 million yen in compensation.

Hideo Sakaki

February Director and actor Hideo Sakaki, known for cult films such as relatively and battlefield baseball — Arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman in her 20s. He denies the accusations. The incident allegedly occurred on May 23, 2016. According to reports, Sakaki and the victim met at an acting coaching seminar hosted by the director. They were reportedly out for drinks and food when he invited her to his apartment to “talk more about the show.” He later suggested she take off her clothes so he could see her naked since it was difficult to find characters with tattoos. In March 2022, four women accused Sakaki of sexual assault in a weekly tabloid. Weekly Wenchun. He admitted to having sex with them but claimed it was consensual.

Kinoshita Hoka

In addition to the accusations against Sakaki, three actresses also came forward with accusations Snow In 2011, Kinoshita sexually assaulted and abused them. The victims alleged that Kinoshita worked with Sakaki to engage in sexual coercion by introducing each other to young women who wanted to enter the film industry. Kinoshita, who was fired by management, said there were “some discrepancies with the facts,” adding that he could not remember certain events from a decade ago. Two months after the allegations against Kinoshita and Sakaki came to light, Japan has been rocked by another sexual assault allegation against a prominent figure in the film industry. Sion Sono accused of sexual harassment and assault by two unnamed actresses Zhou Guanchengsheng. He settled with the magazine earlier this year and two articles related to the allegations were removed.

Johnny Kitagawa

Johnny Kitagawa

Although rumors of Johnny Kitagawa’s crimes had circulated for decades, it was only last year that the company he founded, Johnny & Associates, admitted to the charges against him. Kitagawa, who once held the Guinness World Records for most No. 1 artists, most No. 1 singles and most self-produced concerts, was accused of sexual abuse by hundreds of former members four years after his death. The agency, which changed its name to Smile-Up last year, said on its website that 999 people have reported allegations so far. As of September 30, it had proposed compensation payments to 524 of these claimants. Yasunobu Shiga, one of the plaintiffs, said at a news conference on Wednesday that simply paying money would not solve the problem. He worries the scandal is starting to fade from people’s minds and calls Smile-Up’s response “disingenuous.”

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