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Koichiro Ito, identified for producing a few of Japan’s hottest and profitable anime movies
Ito, 52, was given a four-year sentence on Friday after he was convicted of “violating legal guidelines on little one prostitution and pornography” in addition to rape, a Wakayama District Court docket spokesman confirmed to the information company AFP.
He was accused of paying a 15-year-old woman ¥20,000 (£105) in 2023 for intercourse; coercing one other woman of the identical age into taking specific footage and paying her ¥12,500 (£66) for them in 2021; and paying a 17-year-old woman ¥30,000 (£158) for having intercourse with him at his residence in December 2023.
All of Ito’s actions violated Japan’s Youngster Prostitution and Pornography Prohibition Act.
The courtroom ruling acknowledged that Ito’s crimes consisted of “11 instances of kid prostitution, 9 instances of photographing sexual poses and the like, 10 instances of manufacturing little one pornography, together with these taken on the similar time, 1 case of non-consensual intercourse involving one case of kid prostitution, and possession of 5 items of kid pornography”, Kansai TV reported.
Presiding choose Keiko Fukushima stated Ito indulged in little one prostitution repeatedly and knowingly. “The defendant repeatedly looked for underage girls out there for sexual activity by way of the web, took nude pictures of them and had them ship them, or supplied cash to girls he met in particular person to have interaction in little one prostitution and secretly {photograph} pictures of sexual activity,” she dominated.
“He repeatedly supplied cash to have interaction in little one prostitution and secretly {photograph} pictures of sexual activity. This has a major adversarial impact on the wholesome improvement of the thoughts and physique of the victims who’re immature of their capability to make autonomous selections. The diploma of duty and blame is excessive.”
Ito was first arrested in Tokyo in February and advised investigators he was unclear as to which woman the police case was about since he had nude pictures from underage women despatched to him on a number of events, a report in The Hollywood Reporter stated, quoting NHK. Police had begun an investigation into Ito after his identify got here up in a separate and unrelated little one prostitution case.
At his trial, prosecutors sought six years in jail for Ito, who pled responsible on the first listening to.
“He took benefit of the sufferer’s immaturity, seduced her with cash, and dedicated the crime, which is crafty and malicious. The crime was dedicated on the whim of his sexual need and there’s no room for leniency within the circumstances or motive,” the prosecutors stated in keeping with an internet translation of a report in NHK.
Ito’s lawyer requested a lighter sentence saying the disgraced producer had reached a settlement with two of the three victims and was attending counselling.
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Ito was a producer for Your Title and Suzume, each critically and commercially profitable in Japan, in addition to for celebrated movies like Weathering with You and The Backyard of Phrases. He was additionally concerned within the 2022 TV collection Trendy Love Tokyo.
Your Title, launched in 2016, was the second highest-grossing home movie in Japan, behind solely Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. The film received a number of awards, together with the most effective animated function on the 2016 Los Angeles Movie Critics Affiliation Awards, the forty ninth Sitges Movie Competition and the 71st Mainichi Movie Awards.
Suzume, launched in 2022, equally opened to majorly constructive critiques and went on to grow to be the fourth highest-grossing Japanese film ever. It was nominated for finest animated function on the Golden Globes, dropping out to Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron.
After information of Ito’s arrest broke final month, Makoto Shinkai, who directed Your Title and Suzume, stated on X: “I used to be shocked to see the information of the arrest of these concerned within the manufacturing. Initially, I want to specific my heartfelt condolences to the sufferer. I’m additionally really sorry for inflicting nervousness to everybody who loves and helps the manufacturing.”
“I consider that the worth of the work won’t be diminished on account of this incident, however I’m certain that it’ll inevitably be seen with mistrust by the general public. This makes me really feel very pissed off and unhappy.”
