Anime composer Yuya Saito got into trouble when he was arrested for trying to illegally take photos of a female junior high school student on a train station platform, thus violating the new voyeurism law that took effect in July 2023 as part of Japan’s Penal Code reform process.
The incident occurred on the morning of October 16, 2023, at JR Akabane Station in Kita Ward, Tokyo.
According to investigators, the composer is suspected of intentionally filming discreetly lifting the skirt of a female junior high school student using a mobile camera hidden in the pocket of his handbag.
This illegal act did not go unnoticed as police officers from the Metropolitan Police Department witnessed Mr. Saito’s actions and quickly arrested him at the scene.
During interrogation, Saito admitted to the charges and said, “I wanted to ease the tension. I took the train to take secret photos.”
Yuya Saito has composed music for various anime series including Shugo Chara!, Kotoura-san,
Saito’s arrest comes a year after another anime composer, Hidekazu Tanaka, was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a teenage girl. Tanaka’s works, especially the second opening of the Uzaki Chan anime and the opening of the Pokemon Ultimate Journeys anime were put on hold.
Fans, who were shocked to learn what Saito did, are wondering if his work will face a punishment? circumstances similar to Tanaka’s in the future.
Some fan comments can be read below:
The incident with Saito Yuya made me think of Hidekazu Tanaka… Both have songs I like. What are they doing? When I looked it up, it was heartbreaking that they composed songs for so-called anime for girls like ‘Pretty Cure’, ‘Shugo Chara!’, ‘Kirarin Revolution’, ‘Lilpri’, and others. Personally, even the songs in ‘Tenchi Muyo! The war on Geminar’ was hard to endure. But seriously, both Hidekazu Tanaka and this person should think about their responsibilities for the work they were involved in. What, Saito Yuya was arrested for filming middle school students? I think he’s a pretty decent guy… Is that Saito Yuya? I thought, and yes, it turned out to be Saito Yuya… He’s the one who composed quite a few eroge songs that I like.
Source: TBS News, blog.esuteru