Japanese actor and director Hideo Sakaki has been arrested for alleged sexual assault of an aspiring actress, in a new case of sexual crimes that shakes the entertainment world in Japan.

Sakaki, 53 years old and known for his role in films from the early 2000s such as ‘Versus’, ‘Alive’ or ‘Ju-On: The Grudge’would have committed the crime after inviting the woman in her 20s to his home under the pretext of offering her professional advice, according to the details provided by the local police.

The actor and filmmaker, who also works as director of a ‘talent’ agency (dedicated to attracting and promoting the careers of young artists), He has denied the accusations and called them false., according to local media. The alleged criminal acts took place at Sakaki’s home in May 2016, when he told the woman to take off her clothes to check if she had tattoos and so that she could get used to working in nude scenes. The woman had met Sakaki at an acting workshop in 2015 and filed her complaint with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police in June 2023.

The actor and filmmaker He was already being investigated for alleged sexual assaults on other women, whose testimonies were published by the Japanese magazine Shukan Bunshun in 2022. According to the women, who wanted to remain anonymous, Sakaki would have abused his position to go overboard and coerce them into having sex in exchange for promises about the future of their careers. Sakaki has acknowledged having had sexual relations with some of them, but claims that they were consensual. The case led to the cancellation of the premiere of his film ‘Honeymoon’, which addresses the issue of sexist violence.

His joins a growing list of illustrious names in the Japanese film and music industry who have been implicated in sexual crimes in recent years, in a movement that has been called the ‘Japanese #MeToo’.

A survey carried out in 2022 by the Japanese Film Project organization, which is dedicated to investigating gender issues and working conditions in the Japanese film industry, revealed that 22 people dedicated to this sector, mostly women, have suffered sexual assault or harassment by directors or producers. Several industry professional organizations have been denouncing that the Japanese film scene is dominated by men and that there are no women in decision-making positions.