Pokémon anime composer arrested for sexual assault of teen girl

This report contains details some readers may find distressing.

Pokémon anime composer Hidekazu Tanaka has pled guilty to obscenity and assault charges after he admitted in court to stalking and soliciting sex from a 15-year-old girl, in addition to committing over a dozen other obscene public acts across the past 10 years.

As reported by Kotaku, Tanaka appeared in court yesterday on 15 March. The composer is known for his work on Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series and The Idolm@ster. The trial was held at the Tokyo District Court where Tanaka admitted to propositioning a minor for sex in exchange for money in Tokyo’s Meguro ward last August. During the incident, according to a report by Anime News Network, Tanaka reportedly forcibly grabbed the minor.

Shortly following the incident, Tanaka was arrested by Tokyo Police on charges of forcible indecency. In Japanese law, this refers to an act of sexual assault or intimidation with a sexual element. Tanaka reportedly pled guilty to all charges during the preliminary trial. Japanese outlet TBS (via Kotaku) also wrote that Tanaka confessed to taking upskirt photos of girls’ underwear at a train station, and exposing his genitals while riding the train on dozens of occasions over the last 10 years.

In court, Tanaka said, “I wanted to feel the thrill of being found or not. I did it to relieve my daily frustration and work stress.” Since the arrest, Tanaka’s composer credit has been removed from new episodes of Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series.

The trial continues at Tokyo District Court.