‘Your Name’ Movie Producer Confesses To Have Paid Over 20 Underage Girls For Sexual Favors

The Wakayama Prefectural Police revealed on May 8, 2024 that Your Name. movie producer Koichiro Itou has been referred to prosecutors for additional violation of Child Prostitution & Pornography law in Japan, after it came to light that he had paid an underage girl for sexual intercourse.

The latest case involved a 17-year-old high school girl from Yokohama. Investigators believe Itou knew the girl was a minor when he paid her 30,000 yen for having sexual intercourse at his residence in December 2023.

He is also suspected of taking and saving photographs of the act.

According to to investigators, Itou admitted to paying at least 20 girls on social media for sexual favors.

“I met at least 20 underage girls on social media and paid them to have sex.”

Another victim of his was a 15-year-old high school girl, with whom he engaged in child prostitution for over two years, sending her 20,00 yen each time in return for sexual favors.

The police revealed they identified the victims through the images on his smartphone. The producer has been arrested thrice till now on suspicions of breaking the Child Prostitution and Pornography law.

Itou was originally arrested on Feb 21, 2024 after investigators found that he coerced a 15-year-old high school girl from Nagano who he met on an SNS platform to send her nude selfies.

Itou was aware that she was a minor.

This incident occurred in September 2021 and he is believed to have offered 12,500 yen in cash in order to get the images.

Koichiro Itou is 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: Asahi, Yomiuri Shimbun