'Your Name' anime producer jailed over obscene acts against minors
Koichiro Ito was convicted of "violating laws on child prostitution and pornography" as well as non-consensual sex and the filming of indecent images, a Wakayama District Court spokesperson said on Monday.
Ito, one of the producers of the critically acclaimed 2016 film, was sentenced on Friday.
Regional broadcasters reported that Ito was accused of paying a 15-year-old girl ¥20,000 ($130) for sex in 2023, and demanding that another teenager take and send him explicit photos of herself.
Prosecutors had sought six years' imprisonment for Ito, who pleaded guilty in the first hearing, broadcaster KTV said.
"Your Name," directed by Makoto Shinkai, was a huge commercial success in Japan. It won Best Animation at the 2016 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards.
Ito was also a producer for Shinkai's 2022 animated film "Suzume."
"I'm greatly shocked to see the news about an arrest of someone related to our work," Shinkai posted on social media platform X last month.
"First of all I express my deepest sympathy toward the victims. I also feel very sorry for causing worries to people who love and support our work," he added.
"I don't think the value of our output is undermined by this incident, but it is natural to receive looks of disbelief. That is very regrettable and deplorable."
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