Former prosecutor general arrested for raping colleague in Osaka

A former head of the Osaka district prosecutor's office has been arrested on suspicion of raping a subordinate while she was drunk, the Osaka High Prosecutor's Office announced Tuesday.

Kentaro Kitagawa, a 64-year-old lawyer, allegedly raped the woman at his official residence in Osaka while he was prosecutor general from February 2018 to November 2019, according to investigative sources.

The Osaka Superior Prosecutor's Office, which oversees the district prosecutors' office, declined to release details of the case to protect the victim's privacy, including when the alleged rape took place and whether Kitagawa admitted the charges.

It is believed that Kitagawa and the victim were alone at his official residence at the time.

In a statement released Tuesday, Tsunekazu Kobashi, deputy prosecutor of the Higher Procuratorate, expressed deep regret over the arrest and added: “We will thoroughly investigate and consider what punishment should be imposed.”

Originally from Ishikawa Prefecture, Kitagawa became a prosecutor in 1985. He also served as deputy prosecutor of the Higher Procuratorate and head of criminal investigations at the Supreme Procuratorate.

Kitagawa registered as a lawyer after his retirement and is a member of the Osaka Bar Association.

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