Japanese filmmaker, actor caught in #MeToo allegations; film release put on hold

The #MeToo movement had been a major talking point in Hollywood in 2017, and in Bollywood in 2018. The movement had prompted women, many of them actors, to come forward and express themselves against their harassers which included numerous prominent as well as lesser-known names leading to their boycott by a majority of the industry. In one of the rare such instances, a similar movement was being witnessed in the Japanese film industry after allegations surfaced against two artists. 

Multiple women have come forward and accused actor-director Hideo Sakaki, known for his work in independent cinema, of sexual harassment. It has also been alleged that another actor Houka Kinoshita, who'se been in the industry for four decades was an accomplice of Sakaki in some of the instances, and they have been accused of exploiting aspiring actresses. 

Japanese celebrities accused of sexual assault

Hideo Sakaki, as per a report on The Hollywood Reporter,  has been accused by multiple women of sexual abuse. The allegations surfaced in the wake of his directorial Mitsugetsu aka Honeymoon or Confession, as reported by some, being scheduled to release in the theatres on Friday.

The film's plot depicted sexual abuse, and the filmmaker promoting the movie with such a theme, seemed to have prompted women to open up on their alleged encounters with him. The movie's release has been put on hold for now.

Four women, in statements to the Japanese entertainment magazine Shukan Bunshun , alleged that Sakaki coerced them into sex. The identities of the women have not been revealed, and there was no update on whether they were initiating legal action against the 51-year-old. 

Sakaki responded to the allegations by stating that he had consensual sex with three of the four women, but denied being in any kind of relationship with the fourth woman. 

After the magazine published this article on March 9, allegations were made by three women against Houka Kinoshita, who was known to be a close friend of Sakaki. The 58-year-old was accused of sexually assaulting a woman at an acting workshop and then coercing her into sex later. The woman later was asked by a director if she was a part of the ‘Houka ranch’ as Kinoshita allegedly told him he 'had' her.'

Some women alleged that the Sakaki and Kinoshita worked together to target aspiring actress, introducing to each other the women who were on the lookout for a break. Some women even alleged that both of them had abused them.

The women have alleged that they were promised meetings with directors looking to cast actresses, if they agreed to comply with the duo's demands and threatened that they would not suceed in the industry, if they protested against the demand.

Reactions to #MeToo allegations against Japanese actor duo

Sakaki's wife singer Izumi Sakaki, issued a statement in response to the allegations, apologising to the women whose 'hearts and bodies were hurt' in her house. She also informed that she was trying to end the marriage. 

Later, Oscar-winning director Hirokazu Koreeda and other filmmakers like Miwa Nishikawa condemned the allegations and extended support to the women who opened up on their ordeal.  Japan Marrow Donor Program, an organisation which had collaborated with Kinoshita, have pulled down his promotional messages.