Just a few days ago, controversy arose regarding Koichiro Ito, well-known producer of highly renowned films such as “Your Name”, “Suzume”, and many others. Recently, Koichiro Ito was arrested by Japanese judicial authorities on February 21 of this year, on suspicion of “improper interactions with minors.” Apparently, her name came to light in the midst of the investigation of another case of child prostitution. The producer met a certain 15-year-old girl through social networks in 2021, and asked her to take nude photographs knowing that she was a minor. old, and saved them on his phone. Ito acknowledged the crime without much preamble:
I have received images of underage women several times in the past, but I can’t remember which one it belonged to this time.
Now, the Japanese police have charged him with new charges, now of “assault against a minor.” It turns out that as a result of the interrogation to which he was subjected, Koichiro Ito admitted to having had relations with the girl in exchange for cash, being fully aware that she was under the legal age according to the laws of Japan. Based on this, the charge of “exploitation of minors” was added, which will increase his sentence exponentially. According to the “Yahoo News Japan” portal, the authorities would also be investigating the girl, to clarify if the images in question correspond to her.
Koichiro Ito, 52 years old, is recognized worldwide for having produced, together with the famous director Makoto Shinkai, the film “Your Name” (“Kimi no na wa”), which earned them considerable success, not to mention several awards and nominations. The point is that this new twist on the Ito case has left anime fans surprised, if not perplexed. The irresponsibility reflected in the producer’s actions could seriously affect his company, and eventually his employees, due to this entire scandal that could cause, among other consequences, a significant number of layoffs.
The community is hurt, and regrets this dark stain on Koichiro Ito‘s reputation, which, as we mentioned before, could cause a chain effect that could affect many employees. Everyone agrees that this is the end point of the producer’s career, since no matter how things turn out from this point, no serious director would work with someone like that in the future.
The date for the producer’s trial has not yet been established, since the ongoing investigations are still pending. Because of this, it could take some time until we publicly know the final criminal sentence of the case. But, what we are all sure of is that, without a doubt, Koichiro Ito will face several years in prison, taking into account the seriousness of the various charges he faces today, without having completed the investigation process.
As you might guess, we will keep you up to date on this controversial case, but in the meantime, you can leave us your opinion in the comments. You know, as always, and even more so in serious situations, we will be reading you!
Images Source: Yahoo News Japan, Reddit
