Your Name. Producer Seeks Suspended Sentence In Child Prostitution Case Citing Settlements Reached With Victims

The lawyers representing Koichiro Ito, 53, have requested a suspended sentence in his trial for child prostitution, citing settlements were reached with the victims.

Ito is accused of committing indecent acts with minors, with the prosecution describing his actions as “cunning and malicious”.

The accused was involved in the production of acclaimed anime films including Your Name. & Suzume.

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Charges and Trial Proceedings

The defense’s argument, presented during a court session held on Jan 7, 2025, at the Wakayama District Court, centered on the fact that settlements have been reached with two of the three victims involved in the case.

They also emphasized that Ito is currently undergoing counseling at a medical institution aimed at preventing reoffending.

According to the defense, these factors warranted a suspended sentence rather than imprisonment.

The prosecution on the other hand argued that Ito preyed on the victim’s immaturity and used money to lure her into the acts, which they said were driven purely by sexual desire.

They further asserted that there were no mitigating circumstances regarding Ito’s motives or behavior.

Ito was indicted for paying a 15-year-old high school girl he met on social media for indecent acts in November 2023.

While Ito initially denied some charges, he has since admitted to all allegations.

The bigger picture

This is the latest development in the high profile case involving Ito, who has been arrested three times for violations of Japan’s Child Prostitution and Pornography Law.

In May 2024, the Wakayama Prefectural Police revealed that Ito had paid a 17-year-old high school girl from Yokohama ¥30,000 for sexual intercourse at his residence in December 2023.

He is also suspected of taking and storing explicit photographs of the act.

Ito has admitted to meeting at least 20 underage girls on social media and paying them for sexual favors. One victim, a 15-year-old high school girl, reportedly engaged in child prostitution with Ito for over two years, receiving ¥20,000 per encounter.

Another victim from September 2021 involved a 15-year-old girl from Nagano, whom Ito coerced into sending nude photographs in exchange for ¥12,500.

The verdict of the trial is scheduled to be delivered on Feb 28, 2025.

Koichiro Ito was a consistent collaborator on Shinkai works at Comix Wave, including Your Name, Weathering with You & Suzume.

He has worked on the director’s previous movie instalments. He met the director first while he was working on The Place Promised in Our Early Days.

Source: NHK News