Junya Ito’s Return Amid Misconduct Allegations and National Team Withdrawal

During the Asian Cup in January, there were reports of sexual misconduct allegations against Japanese national team player Junya Ito (31) and his teammate Keito Nakamura (23) from Stade de Reims, a French Ligue 1 team. Stade de Reims is set to play four matches from July 24 against J1’s Júbilo Iwata to August 3 against J1’s Vissel Kobe. Both players arrived in Shizuoka on the 22nd with their teammates. A sports newspaper’s soccer reporter revealed the following:

 

“There was a huge upheaval in Japanese football with the arrest of Kaishū Sano, who was expected to have a bright future in the national team, on charges of non-consensual sexual acts. The arrest came right after his transfer to the German club Mainz was confirmed, shaking the Japanese football community. The shock of Sano’s arrest has overshadowed the fact that the allegations against Ito during the Asian Cup period, reported by some media, have not been entirely resolved. Whether he will come to Japan this time, and what he will say to the Japanese press if he does, is being closely watched.”

 

The Weekly Shincho reported the allegations on January 31. Under coach Hajime Moriyasu (55), the Japanese national team was competing in the Asian Cup in Qatar, aiming for victory. According to the report, two individuals, A and B, accused Ito of sexual misconduct at a hotel in Osaka in June 2023. They had filed a criminal complaint against Ito, alleging “quasi-coercive sexual intercourse.” Ito had been called up as a key player for the Asian Cup. The Japan Football Association (JFA)’s policy on whether to keep him in the team or withdraw him fluctuated. An evening newspaper reporter revealed:

 

“Immediately after the report emerged, JFA was moving towards withdrawing Ito from the team. However, the team as a whole argued, ‘Ito should remain!’ Coach Moriyasu was the most vocal, pleading, ‘Junya is not guilty. Why should he be removed from the team?’ He reversed the initial decision by JFA to withdraw Ito.

 

In response, JFA quickly consulted with legal advisors and conveyed ‘sponsor anger’ to the team. Despite this, the team, led by Coach Moriyasu, did not change their stance, but Ito, feeling deeply distressed, requested to be removed from the team, leading to his withdrawal.”

 

How severe was the ‘sponsor anger’ communicated by JFA? The evening newspaper reporter disclosed:

 

“Until now, the Japanese national team had been free of scandals, so the sudden revelation of Ito’s allegations caused immense anger among the national team’s sponsors. Most contracts were multi-year, large deals worth over 1 billion yen each.

 

Most of JFA’s sponsorship deals are mediated by major advertising agency Dentsu, guaranteeing JFA 35 billion yen in total revenue over eight years.

However, due to the scandal, some sponsors removed Ito from the national team’s group photos or withdrew their advertisements from national team matches. Some companies even demanded retakes of commercials. JFA and the agency had a tough time apologizing to the sponsors.” 

The scandal’s aftermath may have affected the Japanese national team’s performance, as they were knocked out in the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup, falling short of their goal of winning. At this point, there was no definitive evidence against Ito, and the allegations remained just that, allegations. After leaving the team early, Ito returned to France and continued to play in matches as usual. A soccer journalist familiar with international affairs commented:

“Not only in France but across Europe, the principle of ‘presumption of innocence’ was upheld, and Ito was used as a key player without any changes. Ito responded by performing well.”

Ito, who faced criminal charges from the women, appointed lawyer Hirotaro Kato as his representative and asserted his innocence. He not only counter-sued A and the others but also filed a civil suit demanding 200 million yen in damages for the significant losses incurred due to the reports.

The situation seemed to be worsening, but the turning point came when A and the other women who had accused Ito did not make any new claims or updates about their situation, despite Ito’s continued insistence on his innocence.

Moreover, after the Weekly Shincho’s report, one of the national team’s sponsors temporarily removed Ito from promotional images but later reinstated him in images ahead of thenational team’s activities for the World Cup qualifiers in June. The soccer reporter explained:

“Given the significant anger from major sponsors, it is likely that they investigated the situation or made inquiries through the agency to gather judgment criteria. Sponsors who resumed using the images of Ito probably considered that he was still playing regularly for his club.”

After the Osaka Prefectural Police forwarded the documents on July 2, Ito’s representative, lawyer Kato, expressed confidence at a press conference in Tokyo, saying, “I believe you recognized the high likelihood of false accusations from A and the others.”

Coach Moriyasu reportedly appealed to JFA executives:

“Junya’s family also believes in his innocence regarding this incident. It’s natural for family members to support him, and it’s only right for the team to trust Junya!”

With the allegations still unresolved and lacking clear evidence, it remains to be seen how Ito will interpret Moriyasu’s support and the surrounding circumstances. It is not an exaggeration to say that his future will be determined by his performance and conduct moving forward.