Overview
- The Tokyo District Court opened Saito Shinji’s trial on March 13, with Judge Yuko Ito presiding.
- Saito, 43, told the court he believed the encounter was consensual and entered a not guilty plea.
- In opening statements, prosecutors argued the woman clearly refused and resisted as Saito continued, citing the pressure of his celebrity status.
- According to the indictment, he is accused of groping and sexually assaulting a woman in her 20s inside a parked location bus in Shinjuku on July 30, 2024, before a planned TV co-appearance.
- The proceedings are ongoing with no verdict, and Saito has been inactive since September 2024 after his agency, Yoshimoto Kogyo, terminated his contract in October.