TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 51-year-old company president who is suspected of sexually assaulting an underage girl, filming the assault and selling the footage online as an adult video, reports NHK (Jan. 9).
Police believing Akira Awazu, 51, the president of Kakeru Entertainment, a company in Shibuya Ward that manages celebrity fan clubs, may have collected around 10 million yen in revenue from the sale of adult videos featuring underage girls and women.
Last July, Awazu offered 40,000 yen to a 15-year-old middle school girl, sexually assaulted her at a hotel in the Kabukicho red-light district, filmed the assault and sold the footage online as an adult video without issuing a contract or other document.
Police accused Awazu of violating the Child Pornography Prohibition Act regarding the filming and sale of the footage. He partially admits to the allegations. He said, “I gave in to my sexual desires. [But] I thought the girl was 18 years old.”
He was also accused of violating the New Adult Video Law for not issuing a contract to the girl.
“Your face will be edited using AI”
The victim was a runaway at the time. The incident was discovered when she was taken into custody by police in Kabukicho.
Before filming the video, Awazu instructed the female student to lie about her age and say she was 18. “You can’t say you’re a middle school student,” he said.
The suspect also said, “Your face will be edited using AI.” However, her face was clearly shown in the actual video. As for the suspect, he was wearing a balaclava and swimming goggles to hide his face, police said.
During questioning, Awazu also stated that he approached females “in their teens and twenties in the Kabukicho area and filmed them engaging in obscene acts, then sold [the footage].”
Police found approximately 1,700 obscene videos on a hard drive seized during the investigation.
Tokyo police believe that Awazu made at least 10 million yen from selling adult videos. The investigation is ongoing, including into whether any other minors were involved.
GACKT
Kakeru Entertainment is a production company that handles production projects such as planning, producing and managing various events. It also performs online fan club management, including for musician GACKT.
In response to this report, GACKT stated on X, “First of all, as the head of the project, I accept this fact as a heavy reality. Even though [Awazu] was involved in subcontracting work, it honestly makes me sick to think that someone who had even the slightest connection to me was engaging in this kind of behavior behind the scenes.”
Kakeru Entertainment stated on its official website on Friday, “In light of the seriousness of the situation, we have already fired and dismissed the former executive in question.”
It added, “We would like to offer our deepest and sincere apologies to all those involved and to everyone who has always supported our company for the great concern and inconvenience caused by the serious problem caused by our former executive.”
GACKT also wrote, “I strongly demand that the person who committed this crime be punished by the judicial system. As a fellow adult, I am deeply disappointed.”
