Overview
- Prosecutors say Saitō Shinji committed sexual acts inside a parked location bus in Shinjuku in July 2024 and charged him with non‑consensual intercourse and indecency.
- On Tuesday, June 2, the trial moved to defendant questioning at Tokyo District Court where Saitō again pleaded not guilty and said he thought the woman showed romantic interest.
- Saitō told the court the woman praised him and smiled after a kiss, which led him to believe she wanted further intimacy, and he said he was full of remorse for failing to read her feelings.
- The alleged victim previously testified that she froze with fear and did not resist because she feared harm to her future work, creating the central factual dispute over consent in the case.
- The trial is ongoing with no verdict yet and the case has drawn public attention because Saitō is a well‑known former member of the comedy group Jungle Pocket whose agency later cut ties.