Prosecutors asked a court on Tuesday to sentence the former head of a bankrupt rental kimono firm to five years in prison for engaging in fraud to keep his business afloat.
The company ultimately closed suddenly ahead of the Coming of Age Day celebration in January.
Yoichiro Shinozaki, the 56-year-old former president of the now-defunct Harenohi, apologized at the Yokohama District Court to the some 2,000 female clients who were left without formal attire for their once-in-a-lifetime event.