Overview
- Prosecutors asked Tokyo District Court on Wednesday to sentence former Jungle Pocket member Saito Shinji to seven years in prison on charges of non-consensual intercourse and non-consensual indecent acts.
- The indictment says the alleged crimes took place on July 30, 2024, on a parked production bus in Shinjuku and included kissing, groping and a sexual assault that prosecutors say happened three times.
- Authorities say the woman immediately told program staff and the police and later sought treatment at a psychosomatic clinic, which prosecutors cite as evidence of harm and the effect of Saito’s status on her ability to refuse.
- Saito has denied criminal liability in court, saying he believed the encounters were consensual and apologizing for misreading the situation, while his agency Yoshimoto Kogyo ended his management contract after a police referral in October 2024.
- The trial is nearing its close after defense final arguments and the verdict and any sentence will determine both criminal accountability and possible wider consequences for how the entertainment industry handles power and harassment claims.