Photo/Illutration Former chief of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office Kentaro Kitagawa is accused of sexually assaulting an intoxicated subordinate on Sept. 12, 2018. (Sotaro Hata)

OSAKA--The former chief of a local public prosecutors office here apologized in court on Oct. 25 at his first hearing, where he faces accusations of sexually assaulting an intoxicated subordinate while in office.

Kentaro Kitagawa, 65, admitted to the charges of constructive forcible sexual intercourse, defined as taking advantage of an unconscious victim or someone unable to resist, saying, “I will not contest them.”

“I deeply apologize for the serious harm to the victim and sincerely regret the trouble I have caused to the prosecutors office and other organizations related to my work,” he said.

Prosecutors presented a document that Kitagawa allegedly sent to the female prosecutor, warning that if the incident became public, it could lead to a major scandal, possibly paralyzing the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office and forcing the prosecutor-general to resign.

Kitagawa is accused of sexually assaulting the drunk subordinate at his then official residence in Osaka between late on Sept. 12, 2018, and early the next morning after drinking with her and others at a restaurant.

Earlier this year, the woman reported the incident to senior prosecutors.

The female prosecutor said at a news conference in Osaka on Oct. 25 that she had suffered for around six years since it occurred. 

“Why didn’t he admit his guilt sooner? If he had done so earlier, I could have started a new life,” she said.

The woman explained that she held the news conference because, “I want to stand by victims who cannot speak out and those who have found the courage to come forward.”

“I want to convey the truth of my experience and the pain I’ve endured due to the secondary victimization,” she added.

Kitagawa was arrested by the Osaka High Public Prosecutors Office in June and he was indicted by the district prosecutors office in July on the charges. 

According to sources, Kitagawa initially denied the allegations following his arrest, saying he didn’t remember much about the incident and thought he had obtained her consent.

However, as the investigation progressed, he shifted his stance to admit to the charges, the sources said.

Kitagawa became a prosecutor in 1985 and spent much of his career in the Kansai region.

He served as the chief of the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office and headed the inspection and guidance department and the criminal affairs department at the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office.

He was appointed to the top post at the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office in February 2018 but resigned in November 2019, three years before reaching the mandatory retirement age.

He later registered as a lawyer with the Osaka Bar Association.

(This article was written by Kazutaka Toda and Tetsuaki Otaki.)

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