<figure id="attachment_473423" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1280px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-473423"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="506f27be"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/07/4dfbc29c9bd8b53a2b4b23f4ddd45e19.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-473423" class="wp-caption-text">Nijiro Murakami was found to have been referred to prosecutors for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend. The impact has been significant, with a drama he appeared in postponed from broadcast.</figcaption></figure>
<h2> A sensitive issue between romantic partners</h2>
It has come to light that popular young actor Nijiro Murakami (29) was referred to prosecutors by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police on suspicion of causing bodily injury to his former girlfriend.
According to investigative sources, Murakami is suspected of assaulting the woman on four occasions between March and May 2024 at his home in Shibuya, Tokyo. The allegations state that he grabbed her by the hair, slammed her head against a window, and punched her in the face.
The woman reportedly suffered serious injuries requiring more than one month to heal. After she consulted police earlier this year, the Metropolitan Police launched an investigation. During voluntary questioning, Murakami reportedly admitted:
&#8220;There&#8217;s no mistake that I caused her injuries.&#8221;
Following the news, Murakami updated his Instagram account on June 28, writing:
&#8220;I sincerely apologize for causing tremendous concern and inconvenience to everyone involved, as well as to my fans.&#8221;
He also added:
&#8220;For the sake of everyone who cares about me, I hope to speak in my own words about what happened at that time in the near future.&#8221;
Before Murakami issued his personal statement, however, his management agency told some media outlets that the couple had been experiencing problems related to their relationship.
The agency stated:
&#8220;His actions became excessive while trying to stop the woman&#8217;s problematic behavior.&#8221;
In other words, the agency&#8217;s position was that the woman had engaged in problematic behavior, and that Murakami responded with excessive actions while attempting to restrain or stop her.
An entertainment reporter for a sports newspaper criticized that explanation:
&#8220;Even if Murakami and his agency discussed the statement beforehand, why bring up that point? It gives the impression that the woman also bears some responsibility. This is an extremely sensitive matter between romantic partners, yet they presented it as the reason for the alleged assault. As a result, Murakami will now be expected to explain exactly what led up to the incident.&#8221;
The reporter added that if the statement had been released without the woman&#8217;s consent:
&#8220;It could create the risk of the dispute flaring up again later.&#8221;
Murakami announced in March 2023 that he was taking a hiatus due to physical and mental health issues. Since he resumed his career in 2025, the alleged incidents would have occurred during that period of leave.
A source connected to a television information program commented:
&#8220;The woman is said to be a private citizen. Injuries requiring more than a month to heal are quite serious. We don&#8217;t know what Murakami&#8217;s mental state was like during his hiatus, nor do we know why incidents that occurred two years ago only came to light this year.&#8221;
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="His future as a gamer is also in question……"></div>
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<h2>Concerned about being labeled a &#8220;Nepo baby&#8221;</h2>
Murakami&#8217;s father is actor Jun Murakami, and his mother is singer UA. As an actor, he won the Outstanding Supporting Actor Award at the 45th Japan Academy Film Prize for the 2021 film The Blood of Wolves: LEVEL 2. He has also appeared in many high-profile productions, including the 2021 NHK morning drama &#8220;Come Come Everybody&#8221; and Netflix&#8217;s &#8220;Alice in Borderland&#8221; series.
A senior executive at an entertainment agency who knows Murakami told this website:
&#8220;He was conscious of being seen as someone who benefited from his famous parents, but his natural acting was highly regarded. On set, he wasn&#8217;t the type to stand out in a bad way. He was considerate of those around him and tended to go along with the atmosphere. There&#8217;s no doubt he had talent as an actor, which makes this all the more unfortunate.&#8221;
Following the referral to prosecutors, TV Tokyo&#8217;s anthology drama &#8220;Strange: Junji Ito&#8217;s Strange Tales That Keep You Awake at Night,&#8221; which had been scheduled to air on July 4, had its television broadcast and streaming release postponed. Whatever the reason, violence against women cannot be tolerated.
The entertainment industry is a harsh world where there&#8217;s always someone else to take your place. For the time being, Murakami&#8217;s name is unlikely to come up in casting meetings.
His future as a gamer, a field he has also been actively pursuing alongside his acting career, is equally uncertain.
Murakami streams video games under the name &#8220;senju,&#8221; and in June of last year he was appointed Chief Brand Officer (CBO) of the esports team UNLIMIT. In response to the incident, UNLIMIT posted on X:
&#8220;We take this matter very seriously. Until Murakami&#8217;s management agency has completed its confirmation of the facts, we will temporarily suspend Nijiro Murakami&#8217;s activities as UNLIMIT&#8217;s Chief Brand Officer.&#8221;
A person who knows Murakami commented:
&#8220;For Murakami, his activities as a gamer served as a kind of emotional stabilizer. He had also started a fashion brand, and everything seemed to be moving forward—then this unexpected scandal came to light. I think he&#8217;s the one who&#8217;s been hit the hardest by it.&#8221;
This website also contacted Murakami&#8217;s management agency to ask about the intention behind its statement suggesting the woman&#8217;s alleged problematic behavior, as well as whether there would be any contractual penalties related to the postponement of the drama&#8217;s broadcast. However, no response was received by the deadline.
The controversy still leaves many unanswered questions. Rather than issuing one-way written statements, many will likely expect Murakami to hold a press conference with a question-and-answer session—but whether that will happen remains to be seen.

 Takeo Kessoku

 It has come to light that actor Nijiro Murakami was referred to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on suspicion of assaulting his ex-girlfriend. The news broke at the worst possible time—including the suspension of a drama series he was scheduled to appear in just before it was set to air—but…

Nijiro Murakami’s Agency Criticized for Mentioning Girlfriend’s Problematic Behavior in Official Statement

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