Japan international Kaishu Sano arrested for alleged sexual abuse

Kaishu Sano, recently signed by Mainz 05 from Kashima Antlers, has been arrested in the last few hours on charges of committing a sexual abuse offence. According to Japanese broadcaster ‘NHK’, the 23-year-old midfielder allegedly abused a woman in her 30s along with two other friends in a Tokyo hotel.

The incident took place last Sunday, when Sano was with his friends and the woman at a hotel in the Japanese capital. As reported by the aforementioned source, citing anonymous police sources, the victim contacted the authorities to explain what had happened and to report the assault.

Sano, capped four times by Japan and capped at the last Asian Cup, had left Japanese football a few weeks ago to continue his development in Europe with Mainz 05. His last J-League club, Kashima Antlers, were very disappointed by this information: "We are very concerned about this matter. We cannot confirm further details, but we are following the operation closely".

Unfortunately, Sano's case is not isolated. Junya Ito of French club Reims was already forced out of the Asia Cup in February after being investigated for a similar offence. In his case, he allegedly sexually assaulted two women in Osaka in 2023. Ito denied the allegations and is suing the girls who accused him at the time for more than one million euros.

 

July 17, 2024