Photo/Illutration Kentaro Kitagawa, former chief of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

OSAKA–The former chief of a local public prosecutors office here was arrested on June 25 on suspicion of sexual assault committed while he held the post, according to the Osaka High Public Prosecutors Office.

Kentaro Kitagawa, 64, is accused of sexually assaulting his subordinate sometime between February 2018 and November 2019 when he served as the head prosecutor of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office.

The alleged incident took place at his residence and the victim was intoxicated at the time, according to sources.

"It is extremely regrettable that a former prosecutor in a high-ranking position has been arrested," said Tsunekazu Kobashi, deputy chief prosecutor at the Osaka High Public Prosecutors Office. "We will conduct a thorough investigation and consider criminal charges."

Prosecutors have not held a news conference on the arrest or disclosed any details of the allegations, including the exact date and location of the incident, or whether the suspect has admitted to the charges.

They have cited the need to protect the victim's privacy for withholding the information.

Kitagawa was appointed as a prosecutor in 1985 and worked mainly in the Kansai region, including Wakayama, Hyogo and Osaka prefectures.

He served as the deputy chief prosecutor of the Osaka High Public Prosecutors Office, holding senior positions at the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office before heading the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office from 2018.

He resigned as prosecutor in November 2019 before reaching the mandatory retirement age and registered as a lawyer with the Osaka Bar Association.

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