HomeNewsBeritaBusinessLifestyleOpinionWorldSportsPropertyEducationCarzillaGalleryVideosAccelerator

Sexual assault charges against Japanese footballer Ito dropped

-

The 31-year-old denies the allegations and sued his accusers for ¥200 million in damages.

0
Shares
Total Views: 1
Free Malaysia Today
Junya Ito was left out of the Asian Cup after police said he was under investigation. (AFP pic)

TOKYO:
Japanese prosecutors today dropped sexual assault charges against footballer Junya Ito due to a lack of evidence, local media reported.

The 31-year-old winger had been excluded from major global tournaments after a Japanese magazine published accusations that he sexually assaulted two women in a hotel in the western Osaka region last year.

He has denied the allegations and sued his accusers for ¥200 million in damages.

He was left out of the Asian Cup after Japanese police said he was under investigation over the alleged sexual assault.

Japan also left him off the national squad for World Cup qualifiers in March, with coach Hajime Moriyasu saying he wanted to “protect” the player.

Ito’s lawyer welcomed the prosecutors’ decision, telling local media that “now that a hurdle to his return to the national team has been cleared, we hope he will perform to his heart’s content”.

A lawyer representing the women called the non-indictment “extremely unjust”, saying they would file a complaint with a body tasked with the inquest of prosecution, according to broadcaster TBS.

Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.