The Japanese media industry was surprised recently when Koichiro Ito, the producer of the fantasy adventure anime movie Suzume, was arrested in Japan for allegedly compelling a teenage girl to send him pictures that were inappropriate on social media. At the time, the girl was fifteen years old and in her first year of high school.
He is charged with forcing a high school student who was to send him photos of herself wearing only her underwear after they met on an online social networking site (SNS). It appears that his purported involvement in the affair has surfaced in the course of the police inquiry into a related crime. The rest of the details about the case will be revealed in the future.
He worked on and contributed to a number of notable anime productions, but his most well-known works include Suzume, Your Name, and The Garden of Words. Recently, Suzume’s director Makoto Shinkai made an official statement regarding the arrest and expressed his shock and sadness regarding the incident.
Suzume Director Makoto Shinkai Shocked After Hearing About The Incident
Suzume Director Shinkai took to X(Formerly Twitter) to express his emotions on the matter and talk about the situation from his official account. He explained that he was deeply shocked to hear about the arrest of a person involved in the production of the work.
Shinkai Stated:
“I am deeply shocked to see the news report of the arrest of the person involved in the production of the work. First of all, I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the victim. I am also truly sorry for causing anxiety to everyone who loves and supports the work.”
Shinkai also expressed sympathy for the victim and he also explained that he was sorry about the problem this incident had caused to the fans who have loved and supported the works on which they have worked together. Ito joined ComixWave Films in 2003, which is when Shinkai and Ito first crossed paths.
Makoto Shinkai Thinks The Reputation of the Movie Should Not Be Harmed Because of the Incident
In the official tweet, Shinkai also talked about how he believed that the horrifying incident should not affect the movie or the other works they have done together. But he knows that people are bound to have doubts, and because of that, he is very frustrated and disappointed by this.
He stated:
“Personally, I do not think that the value of the work will be diminished by this incident, but I think it is natural that people will have doubts. I am very frustrated and saddened by this.”
At that time, Shinkai was working on The Place Promised in Our Early Days. Their partnership was formed following the success of Voices of a Distant Star. Ito has consistently collaborated with Shinkai on Comix Wave masterpieces like Your Name, Weathering with You, and Suzume. He contributed to earlier film installments by the director.
Ito has been a part of many significant projects and has been in the industry for a long time, thus the news of his arrest and involvement in the case has thrown off the anime and Japanese media industries.
