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Police Arrest your name. Producer Kouichirou Itou on Suspicion of Soliciting Minor for Nude Photos (Updated)
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
Wakayama Prefectural Police arrested 52-year-old anime producer Kouichirou Itou for allegedly soliciting a 15-year-old high school girl living in Nagano for nude pictures of herself. Itou admitted to the charge, though according to authorities he claimed that he had "done it with other people, so [he couldn't] tell if it was this girl or not."
According to the authorities, Itou asked the girl for the pictures in September 2021, with full knowledge that the girl was a minor at the time. Police said that Itou's alleged crime was discovered as part of a different prostitution investigation. The police are investigating if there are other victims that were involved with Itou.
Itou has been a producer on many of director Makoto Shinkai's works, including his second film The Place Promised in Our Early Days, Children Who Chase Lost Voices, The Garden of Words, his breakout hit your name., and his following two films Weathering With You and Suzume.
Update: TBS News reported on Thursday that according to police, Itou allegedly paid the minor 12,500 yen (about US$83) in electronic money for the photo or photos. TBS also stated police found other videos and images on Itou's computer and are investigating them.
Source: Mainichi Shimbun (加藤敦久, 安西李姫) via My Game News Flash
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