Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ennosuke IV was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of assisting his 75-year-old mother in her suicide.
The popular actor, age 47, was found with his mother and his father — kabuki actor Ichikawa Danshiro, 76 — in their home in Tokyo on May 18. When police officers arrived, both parents were found collapsed while Ennosuke was found sitting in a partially underground closet. Both of his parents were confirmed dead from a drug overdose.
According to the investigation, Ennosuke, whose real name is Takahiko Kinoshi, handed his mother Nobuko sleeping pills sometime between the night of May 17 and the morning of May 18, thereby assisting her suicide. There is an ongoing investigation regarding Ennosuke’s involvement in his father’s death.