TOKYO (TR) – Actor Hirofumi Arai says that he was intoxicated during the alleged rape of a masseuse at his residence last year, police said on Saturday, reports NHK (Feb. 2).
At just past 2:00 a.m. on July 1, Arai, 40, summoned the woman, an employee at an out-call massage parlor aged in her 30s, to his residence in Setagaya Ward. He then is alleged to have sexually assaulted her.
Upon his arrest on suspicion of coerced intercourse on February 1, Arai partially denied the allegations. “I was drunk,” he reportedly told police. “I have done [such a thing], but I have also not done [such a thing].”
The encounter between Arai and the masseuse was their first. Prior to the incident, Arai consented to “not engaging in prohibited acts” as mandated by the parlor.
The case involving Arai is the fourth to be filed by the parlor since it began implementing the mandate in March. One month after the incident, the woman lodged a complaint with the Setagaya Police Station.
Arai made his debut as an actor in 2001. He has since appeared in a number of films and television dramas.
