Shinji Saito Sent for Prosecution Over Alleged Sexual Coercion and Debt Report That Outraged Horse Racing
Shinji Saito (42) of Jungle Pocket is causing concern for the Japan Racing Association (JRA).
In July of this year, Saito was accused of non-consensual sexual intercourse, having allegedly forced a sexual act on a woman in her 20s, an influencer, inside a parked location bus in Shinjuku, Tokyo. On October 7, he was sent for prosecution.
Saito has stated in his testimony:
“It was a reckless act, and I regret causing trouble for the other party and my own family.”
However, he maintains that there was consent between him and the victim.
“Regardless of whether there was consent or not, this incident took place inside a location bus, which can be considered a ‘workplace’ for talents. At this point, there has been little to no support for Saito in the entertainment world. Even if the charges are dropped, his return to show business seems unlikely,” said a sports newspaper entertainment reporter.
Gambling debts range from several million yen to tens of millions of yen.
His company, Yoshimoto Kogyo, decided to terminate Saito’s contract with the company without waiting for the prosecutors to decide whether to prosecute or not. Jungle Pocket” is currently performed by the duo of Hirohisa Ota and Otake.
In addition to the sexual scandal, reports of Saito’s “debt” also surfaced.
The October 17 issue of Shukan Bunshun (Shukan Bunshun) reported that Saito had always been a genuine gambler, but that he had been losing money in recent years and had asked his acquaintances for loans. The amount of his debts is said to range from several million to tens of millions of yen.
This has infuriated the JRA.
Saito has been the MC of the horse racing program “Winning Horse Racing” (TV Tokyo) since April ’13. He also owned “Omata Seshimashita” in local horse racing as a horse owner.
JRA saw it as a problem.
“He was racking up debts for gambling.”
The story was widely publicized as “a man who had racked up debts for gambling.
