Japanese police arrested national football team player Kaishu Sano on charges of sexually assaulting a woman, local media reported on Wednesday.
“NHK” and other media reported, citing unidentified police sources, that the 23-year-old defensive midfielder and two of his friends in their twenties sexually assaulted the woman in a Tokyo hotel on Sunday. .
According to reports, the police arrested the three near the hotel immediately after receiving a call from the woman, who was reported to be in her thirties.
The police have not issued any official comment regarding the case yet.
Sano, who participated in 4 matches with Japan and was part of the team’s squad in this year’s Asian Cup in Qatar, joined Germany’s Mainz earlier this month from Kashima Antlers.
Japanese football previously experienced a similar issue this year when Junya Ito, who plays for the French club Rennes, left the Asian Cup last February after Japanese police said he was being investigated for an alleged sexual assault in Osaka last year.
Ito has denied the allegations and is suing his accusers, seeking 200 million yen ($1.3 million) in damages.
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