[Sportschosun, Reporter Park Aram] Japanese actor Rijiro Murakami, 29, has been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of assaulting his former girlfriend and causing serious injuries.
On the 26th, according to Japanese media outlets such as TBS NEWS DIG and Nikkan Sports, the Harajuku Police Station under the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) recently sent Murakami to prosecutors on charges of assault.
Murakami is accused of committing violence four times between March and May 2024 at his home in Shibuya, Tokyo, against a woman he was dating at the time.
The victim reported the abuse to police earlier this year, and investigators later forwarded the case to prosecutors.
Murakami reportedly admitted to the allegations during a voluntary police interview. He is said to have stated, "It is undeniable that I hurt the other person."
Born in 1997, Rijiro Murakami is the son of actor Jun Murakami and singer UA. He began his acting career in 2014 as the lead in the film "Boy, Girl and the Sea" (original title: "The Second Window"). He later appeared in "The Miracles of the Namiya General Store," "Destruction Babies," the NHK serial drama "Come Come Everybody," and the Netflix series "Alice in Borderland," establishing himself as one of Japan's leading young actors. He has also been recognized for his acting, including winning the Japan Academy Film Prize for Outstanding Supporting Actor.
He had been scheduled to appear as the lead in the first episode of the TV Tokyo drama "Strange - Junji Ito's Strange Stories for the Night, You Can't Sleep," which is set to premiere on July 3. Attention is now turning to how the assault allegations will affect his future activities.
tokkig@sportschosun.com
