2023-11-17 10:05:51
One of Japan’s best-known kabuki theater actors was sentenced Friday to a suspended prison sentence for assisting the suicide of his parents, a case that shook the Japanese world of traditional arts.
Ennosuke Ichikawa, 47, was arrested last June after his two parents were found unconscious at his home in Tokyo the previous month.
The death of his 76-year-old father, also an actor in this form of traditional Japanese theater, and of his 75-year-old mother were subsequently confirmed.
According to local media, Mr. Ichikawa had warned his parents of his intention to end his life after being informed of the publication of an article in a tabloid accusing him of harassment and sexual assault.
All three then decided to commit suicide together, the parents taking sleeping pills with the help of their son.
Mr. Ichikawa himself was found in a semi-conscious state the same day.
The actor, who had been released on bail, was sentenced to a three-year suspended prison sentence, a Tokyo court spokesperson told AFP.
Mr. Ichikawa said he felt “indescribable guilt” in a statement released Friday after the court’s decision.
After learning of the tabloid article, “I thought I would leave deep scars in the tradition and culture of kabuki.” The weight of that prospect was too much to bear, but “I should have chosen to live even in the throes of despair,” he said.
“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about the decision I made that day. I regret having been the only one to survive, while my parents died,” he added.
In addition to the charges against him, Mr. Ichikawa told the court last month that he had also been affected by the stress of years spent caring for his father, who had cancer and suffered from violent outbursts. in the mood, according to local media.
The Shochiku production company, which has staged many kabuki shows with Mr. Ichikawa, said nothing had been decided about its potential return to theaters.
A star actor in traditional Japanese theater, Ennosuke Ichikawa, whose real name is Takahiko Kinoshi, began his career in kabuki in 1980 and became one of the country’s most renowned actors. He has notably played in London, Amsterdam and at the Opéra Garnier in Paris.
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