Your Name producer arrested for harassing minors

February 25, 2024

Wakayama Prefectural Police arrested Kouichirou Itou52-year-old anime producer, for allegedly soliciting nude images of a 15-year-old high school student from Nagano. Itou admitted to the charges, although according to authorities he stated that “He had done it with other people, so he couldn’t tell if the charges were on this girl or not.“. According to the information provided by the authorities, Itou requested the photographs from the girl in September 2021, having full knowledge that she was a minor at the time.

Itou’s alleged crime was discovered as part of a separate prostitution investigation, police said. Authorities are currently investigating whether there are other victims involved with this subject. It should be noted that Itou He has been a producer on many of director Makoto Shinkai’s works.including his second feature film “Kumo no Mukou, Yakusoku no Basho (The Place Promised in Our Early Days)“, “Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo (Children Who Chase Lost Voices)“, “Kotonoha no Niwa (The Garden of Words)“, his successful film “Kimi no Na wa. (Your Name.)“, and his next two films “Tenki no Ko (Weathering with You)” and “Suzume no Tojimari“.

The news has generated commotion in the anime industry and among followers of the works in which Itou has been involved. The studios and production companies related to their projects have not commented on the matter so far. The situation has also raised concerns about the safety and well-being of minors working in or associated with the entertainment industry:

«I thought he only produced Your Name, but I took a look and it seems he’s been a constant collaborator of Makoto Shinkai for a long time».
«Considering the scene where the girl gropes her tits, it makes me wonder how long I’ve been doing this kind of thing.».
«I find it quite curious that the girl in “Your Name” is also a high school student like the victim. When I watched the movie again, I felt that her crimes would be connected to the story. It is worrying that this producer is now going to face multiple charges of sexual harassment of minors, it is no longer a matter of simple possession of images».
«It was clear, you can’t make a movie where a high school girl gropes her tits and come out unscathed.».
«Your Name was made by a lot of people, but everything goes to hell because of just one».
«As expected, a criminal record will haunt you for life.».
«He doesn’t seem to feel sorry for his actions, it’s like he already wanted to get caught.».
«Although many say that it is unnecessary to mention the detail that he was the producer of “Your Name”, this guy is a close collaborator of Makoto Shinkai and has been in almost all of his projects. I think he will really have an impact on his future films.».