Your Name Producer Facing New Charges After Disturbing Arrest

Last week, reports surfaced about the arrest of Kouichirou Itou. The 52-year-old producer was taken into custody by police for allegedly soliciting a minor. Now, the Wakayama Prefectural Police says Itou is facing extra charges, and the producer has confessed.

The update comes from Kyoto Shimbun as the paper revealed Itou was charged this past week for paying a minor to participate in obscene acts. According to authorities, Itou allegedly paid a 15-year-old girl he met online last year for obscene acts including sex. Police say Itou has admitted to the charge.

The police went on to say Itou knew that girl in question was underage at the time. Their report suggests Itou met the minor last summer and paid her just over $130 USD to perform obscene acts. This incident precedes the charge Itou was arrested for last month; That offense stems from Itou's alleged solicitation of a 15-year-old girl for nude photos.

At this time, there is no word on whether more investigations into Itou are underway. Last month, authorities reported Itou admitted to the charge of soliciting nude photos from a minor. He went on to further incriminate himself, saying he had soliciting "other people" before so he wasn't able recount which girl he approached for the photos. Now, authorities have linked Itou to a solicitation charge from 2023, and more could be on the horizon.

If you are not familiar with Itou, you should know the producer is a longtime collaborator of Makoto Shinkai, the director of Your Name. Itou has worked on a number of Shinkai films from The Garden of Words to Your Name, Weathering With You, and Suzume. After the arrest, Shinkai publicly condemned Itou over his arrest and expressed the deep shock he felt over the news. 

What do you think about this latest arrest update? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!