Ito counterattacks on the legal ground.
Accused of sexual assault by two women in Japan, the Japanese international from Stade de Reims has filed a complaint and is demanding 200 million yen (1.2 million euros) in damages, announced his lawyer.
The 30-year-old midfielder, who arrived in Reims in 2022 and is an indisputable starter in Ligue 1, denounces false accusations which have significant repercussions on his image.
“It is extremely important to clear your name as quickly as possible, as a player's career is short,” his lawyer Hirotaro Kato told the press on Monday.
An affair revealed during the Asian Cup
The facts with which the footballer is accused took place in a hotel in Osaka (western Japan) in June 2023 after a match between Japan and Peru, reported Japanese media, which specified that his physical trainer is also accused.
Japanese police announced on February 1 the opening of an investigation into this affair, revealed while Junya Ito was playing in the Asian Cup in Qatar with Japan.
The player then hastily left the selection and returned to France, the Japanese football federation having deemed his departure necessary to allow the team to “concentrate” on the rest of the competition.
Japan then suffered a surprise defeat in the quarter-final against Iran (2-1).
Another Junya Ito assist and Oumar Diakité scores 🇯🇵🔗🇨🇮 pic.twitter.com/tvllkUS529
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) February 19, 2024
Since then, Ito has returned to L1 pitches with Reims.
When the affair broke out, the Champagne club affirmed in a press release that it was “in solidarity with its player (…) while waiting for concrete elements which will shed light on the alleged facts”.
Established this weekend against Lens (1-1), he delivered an assist to Oumar Diakité.