Former Osaka prosecutor arrested for alleged sex crime

The Osaka Prosecutor's Office on Tuesday arrested Kentaro Kitagawa, a 64-year-old former head of the Osaka district prosecutor's office, on suspicion of what directly translates as constructive forced sexual intercourse.

The attorney general's office has not revealed whether Kitagawa admitted the allegations. He also did not disclose details of the case, including when and where it occurred, citing the victim's private life.

A well-informed source said the case allegedly occurred while Kitagawa was chief of the district prosecutor's office from February 2018 to November 2019.

Kitagawa became a prosecutor in 1985 and spent much of his career in the Kansai region. Before being appointed to the top position of the Osaka District Procuratorate, he served as head of the Naha District Procuratorate, deputy head of the Osaka General Prosecutor's Office, and head of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Supreme Procuratorate. Since his retirement, he has served as a corporate auditor and other positions.

“It is very regrettable that a person in a key prosecutorial position has been arrested,” said Tsunekazu Kobashi, deputy head of the Osaka Prosecutor General's Office. “We will consider the final sanction after completing the investigation properly.”