Koichiro Ito (53), the producer of the Japanese animated film "Your Name," which was also popular in South Korea, has been sentenced to prison for charges including child prostitution.
According to local media such as Fuji News Network (FNN) on the 4th, the Wakayama District Court sentenced Ito to four years in prison on the 28th of last month for violations of the Child Prostitution and Child Pornography Prohibition Act. Ito was charged with giving 20,000 yen (approximately 196,000 KRW) in cash to a 15-year-old girl he met through social networking services (SNS) in 2023 and then having non-consensual sexual relations at his home.
In the verdict, the court pointed out that Ito's crimes involved "11 cases of child prostitution, 9 cases of sexual filming, 10 cases of child pornography production, and possession of 5 child pornography items." The court added, "These crimes have a serious adverse effect on the mental and physical development of the victims, who lack mature decision-making ability, and are acts that are socially highly condemnable."
Earlier, the prosecution had requested a six-year prison sentence for Ito in January. The prosecution claimed, "The defendant repeatedly gave money and engaged in obscene acts with more than 100 girls under the age of 18 over the past 10 years." Ito admitted to some of the charges.
Meanwhile, Ito was known as a producer who collaborated with director Makoto Shinkai. He participated in Shinkai's films such as "Your Name," "Weathering with You," and "Suzume no Tojimari." Regarding this, director Shinkai recently expressed on X, "I was deeply shocked by the news that someone related to our works was arrested," and added, "I offer my deepest condolences to the victims. I also apologize for causing concern to those who love and support our works."
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