Amid Allegations, Saito Shinji’s Wife Saori Seto Responds Seriously

Seto took action to defend Saito.

In mid-October, under the autumn-like sunlight, talent Saori Seto (36) was seen walking on the streets of Shibuya.

“She was dressed casually in a navy shirt and loose pants. Her dog’s face was sticking out from the backpack slung over her chest. I thought she might be walking her dog, but then she entered a nearby station. She wasn’t wearing a mask or sunglasses, and didn’t seem to care about being noticed by others,” a passerby recalled.

At this time, Seto was facing a family crisis. Her husband, former Jungle Pocket member Shinji Saito (42), had just been referred to the police for charges of non-consensual intercourse and non-consensual indecency.

Saito was referred to the police on October 7th for allegedly committing sexual assault against a female talent in her 20s inside a location bus provided for a filming session. His agency, Yoshimoto Kogyo, announced his contract termination the same day the news broke. Furthermore, the October 10th issue of Shukan Bunshun reported that Saito had accumulated significant gambling debts and had repeatedly asked his fellow comedians for money.

Saito, who was a popular figure, reportedly earned 40 to 50 million yen annually, but it seems he was in such financial distress that he even asked for tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of yen with demands like, “Please lend me the money by tomorrow.” (Sports paper entertainment reporter)

Seto was a member of the idol group Scoop!? and also worked as a horse racing idol. After marrying Saito in 2017, she actively shared information about her family on social media. She currently has over 50,000 followers on Instagram.

On the day her husband was referred to the police, Seto posted on her SNS, “There are reports of sexual assault, but some of the information reported is incorrect,” showing her defense of her husband. This comment from Seto attracted significant criticism, and on the 9th, the victim, through her lawyer, responded, saying, “Comments were made that misrepresented the facts, making it seem as though I was at fault.”

What exactly does Seto mean by facts? She was confronted directly about this.

Not accepting letters or business cards.

――Seto-san, this is Friday.

“I have nothing to say.”

――Would you mind sharing a few words?

“Please don’t follow me.”

She dismissed both the letter outlining the intent of the interview and the business card, saying, “I don’t need these.” Without slowing her pace, Seto walked away.

Last year, when Friday reported on Saito’s infidelity allegations, Seto similarly shared the following on her SNS:

“I firmly scolded him, and my husband is reflecting on it.”

“I married him knowing his hobbies.”

Despite being a victim of infidelity herself, Seto’s strong stance garnered support, but there were also criticisms suggesting that she and her husband were simply trying to cover up the situation. How will she navigate her husband’s latest scandal?