Anime Producer 'YOUR NAME' Admits to Paying 20 Underage Girls for Sexual Acts

Kapanlagi.com - Written by Devie Vyatri Permata Cahyadi

In February 2024, a anime producer named Koichiro Ito was reported to have been arrested by the Wakayama police for alleged involvement in cases of prostitution and child pornography in Japan. For your information, Koichiro Ito is well-known for his involvement in several famous Japanese animated films such as YOUR NAME (2016), WEATHERING WITH YOU (2019), and SUZUME (2020). Despite having a string of impressive achievements in his career, Koichiro Ito's image instantly turned sour due to this recent scandal that went viral.

In his investigation, Koichiro Ito admitted that a total of 20 underage girls had become his victims. "I met at least 20 underage girls on social media and paid them for sexual encounters," revealed Koichiro Ito as quoted from the Anime Hunch website.

Let's directly check out the full news!

1. The Beginning of the Harassment Case

©IMDb

The case of sexual harassment committed by Koichiro Ito is known to have started since September 2021. At that time, Koichiro Ito was believed to have offered a sum of 12,500 yen or around Rp 1,280,000 in cash to obtain nude photos of several underage girls. Although Koichiro Ito was aware that his victims were still minors, he proved to be indifferent.

According to reports, the latest case that occurred in December 2023 involved a 17-year-old high school girl from Yokohama. Investigators believe that Koichiro Ito paid the minor girl 30,000 yen or around Rp 3,000,000 to engage in sexual intercourse at his residence.

And finally, in early 2024, Koichiro Ito was arrested by the Japanese police after they revealed that they had successfully identified the victims through explicit images found on the producer's phone.

2. Anime Producer 'SUZUME', Makoto Shinkai Gives His Opinion

©Crunchyroll Anime

Having been a colleague of Koichiro Ito when working together on the production of the anime film SUZUME in 2020, now it's the turn of producer Makoto Shinkai to share his opinion on the case. Makoto Shinkai admitted to being shocked when he first heard the news of his friend's scandal.

Through an application, Makoto Shinkai wrote a short message. "I was very surprised to see the news report about the arrest of the person involved in the production of the work. First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the victims. I am also deeply sorry for causing concern to everyone who loves and supports this work," said Makoto Shinkai as quoted from a similar source.

(kpl/dvp)