Dec 03 (Japan Today) - Actor Hirofumi Arai was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday after being convicted of sexual assault by the Tokyo District Court.
Arai, 40, was arrested on Feb 1 on suspicion of sexually assaulting a masseuse, who is in her 30s, at his apartment in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward on July 1 last year. He was released six days later after paying 5 million yen bail.
In his trial that began on Sept 2, Arai was accused of sexually assaulting the woman who was dispatched to his apartment. The court heard that he also turned the lights down in the room so that the woman wouldn’t recognize him.
Arai claimed he was intoxicated at the time the assault took place and that his act was consensual. After his arrest, his management agency fired him. The release of his latest film, â€Zenaku no Kuzu,†was also canceled.
