Japanese football player Kaishu Sano arrested for alleged sexual assault

Japanese soccer player Kaishu Sano, who played for the national team, was arrested along with two other men on suspicion of sexually harassing a woman in a Tokyo hotel, police said on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old, who made his first international appearance for Japan last November, and two men in their 20s are suspected of being involved in a sexual assault between 2 and 4:30 a.m. on Sunday in the capital’s Bunkyo district. Tokyo police have not said how the three responded to the allegations.

The woman, in her 30s, contacted police immediately after the alleged attack. Officers found the three men on a street near the hotel and arrested them late Sunday after they were voluntarily questioned, police and investigative sources said.

Kaishu Sano. (Kyodo)

The three men are said to have eaten with the woman and a friend on Saturday evening before going to the hotel together. The woman’s friend went home before the incident, it was said.

The arrest came after German Bundesliga club Mainz announced on July 3 that it had signed a four-year contract with the defensive midfielder until 2028. He previously played for J-League first division club Kashima Antlers.

Sano has won four international matches and was part of the Samurai Blue squad at the Asian Cup tournament held in Qatar from January to February.

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