Soccer player Junya Ito filed a lawsuit with the Osaka District Court on Monday seeking about ¥202 million in compensation from two women who alleged the winger and his trainer sexually assaulted them last year.
In the civil lawsuit, Ito's side alleges the two women made false accusations by filing a criminal complaint with the Osaka Prefectural Police accusing Ito and his trainer of sexual assault so that the pair will be criminally punished. As a result, sponsors ended contracts with Ito, causing financial damage to the player, Ito's lawyers stated.
"What the women did was significantly malicious, filing the complaint during the Asian Cup to impede with Ito," one of Ito's lawyers told reporters after filing the lawsuit.
In January, Daily Shincho reported that Ito, who played for Japan at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, engaged in sexual conduct with the women, who were drunk, at a hotel in Osaka in June 2023 after playing for Japan against Peru.
The report came hours before Japan's round-of-16 match at the Asian Cup against Bahrain in Doha. Ito, a midfielder with French club Stade de Reims, remained on the bench for the first time in the tournament as Japan won 3-1 to reach the quarterfinals. He later left the national team with the Japan Football Association saying it was "out of consideration for his mental and physical condition."
Ito's side, however, claimed that the allegations were "totally unfounded," filing a criminal complaint for false accusations. While Ito did spend time with the two women, the complaint states that their accounts are inconsistent, and that there was no physical evidence supporting their allegations.
