On February 21st, 51-year-old producer Kouichirou Itou (Your Name, Suzume no Tojimari) was arrested in Japan for harassing young women in Nagano. Therefore, director Makoto Shinkai commented on the matter on social media.
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"I was shocked to hear the news of the arrest of someone involved in the production of my films. First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the victims. I'm also deeply sorry for causing anxiety to everyone who loves and supports my work. I personally believe the value of my work will not be harmed by the recent incident, but I think it's natural that it will be met with disbelief. This is very frustrating and sad," Makoto stated.
Shinkai's statement came two days after Itou's arrest. Although Shinkai doesn't directly mention Itou by name in his tweet, it's likely he's referring to Itou, the only crew member on his films recently detained by police.
In the same tweet, Shinkai also expressed his condolences to the victims. Shinkai also expressed his hope that this arrest will not negatively affect the reputation of the films Itou produced in collaboration with the director. While this depends on the audience's perspective, he recognizes and understands that some may now view his films differently.
Finally, Itou served as a producer on many of director Makoto Shinkai's works, including his second film, "The Place Promised in Our Early Days," "Children Who Chase Lost Voices," and "The Garden of Words." Its success contributed significantly to Shinkai's name recognition and the director's two subsequent films, "Weathering With You" and "Suzume."
Source: X (Official Twitter)
