OSAKA (TR) – The former agency for singer Rina Aiuchi on Thursday denied her claims of sexual harassment by a producer more than a decade ago.
Agency Giza Studio said in a statement faxed to media outlets, “The results of an internal investigation showed that [the claims of sexual harassment] are not factual.”
Aiuchi has lodged a suit with the Osaka District Court seeking 10 million yen in compensation.
At the first hearing on Thursday, the legal team for Giza Studio sought for the suit to be thrown out and expressed a willingness to dispute the claims.
In 1999, Aiuchi joined Giza Studio (then known as Giza Music). She released her debut single “Close to Your Heart” the next year. She left the agency in 2010.
The suit claims that a male producer at the agency sexually abused her during that period, causing her to retire the name Rina Aiuchi. (She now performs under Rika Kakiuchi.)
The agency offered no further comment on the suit. “We will discuss this matter during the [court] proceedings,” the statement said.