On February 21st, 51-year-old producer Kouichirou Itou (Your Name, Suzume no Tojimari) was arrested in Japan for harassing young people in Nagano. Therefore, director Makoto Shinkai commented on the matter on social media.
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“I was shocked to see the news of the arrest of a person involved in the production of my films. Firstly, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the victims. Also, I'm sorry for causing anxiety to everyone who loves and supports my work. I personally believe that the value of the work will not be harmed by the recent incident, but I think it is natural for it to be viewed with disbelief. This is very frustrating and sad” – Makoto declared.
Shinkai's statement came two days after Itou's arrest. Although Shinkai does not directly mention Itou's name in his tweet, it is likely that he is referring to Itou, the only crew member from his films who was recently detained by the police.
In the same tweet, Shinkai also expressed his condolences to the victims. Shinkai also addressed the hope that this arrest will not negatively affect the reputation of the films Itou produced in partnership 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 was the producer of many of director Makoto Shinkai's works, including his second film, “The Place Promised in Our Early Days”, “Children Who Chase Lost Voices”, “The Garden of Words”. Its success contributed significantly to Shinkai's name recognition and the director's next two films, “Weathering With You” and “Suzume”.
Source: X (Official Twitter)
