Japanese director Sion Sono accused of sexual assault and misconduct by multiple women

Two women have come forward with sexual assault allegations against cult Japanese director Sion Sono. Sono has also been accused of trading sex for roles throughout his career. The 60-year-old most recently directed 2021's Prisoners Of The Ghostland starring Nicolas Cage. He’s known for his work on Love Exposure, Suicide Club, and the miniseries Tokyo Vampire Hotel.

“Even now, there is a director who has no qualms about saying ‘If you screw me, I’ll give you work’. His films are acclaimed and many actresses want to appear in them. He uses that to assault women as if it’s nothing. That director is Sion Sono,” an executive at a Japanese film distributor writes in the weekly magazine Shukan Josei.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, one of the unnamed actresses in the Shukan Josei piece alleges the director tried to force her to have sex with him after he offered her a part in one of his films. After she refused, she says he invited in another actress who he had previously worked with, and the two began engaging in sexual acts in front of the woman. Left in shock, she was led outside by an assistant director. Believing he was going to help her, she followed him but he allegedly attempted to take her to a love hotel.

Actor Matsuzaki Yuki tweeted about the allegations last Sunday, stating that offering roles for sex and other forms of sexual harassment was “Sono[’s] usual MO—There are dozens of victims,” per Variety.

In a statement shared this morning, Sion wrote, “To whom it may concern. Thank you very much for your continued support. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and concern this may have caused to all parties concerned. We will make a new announcement after sorting out the facts.”

These allegations come on the heels of a rising wave of sexual assault accusations in Japan, as director Hideo Sakaki and his friend Houka Kinoshita were also recently accused of multiple sexual assaults.