Popular Japanese Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ennosuke, 47, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of helping his mother take her own life in mid-May, in what is believed to have been a family suicide pact, an investigative source said.
Ennosuke, whose real name is Takahiko Kinoshi, was found collapsed at his parents' home in Tokyo on May 18, along with his mother Nobuko, 75, and his father Hiroyuki, 76, known as Kabuki actor Ichikawa Danshiro.
The couple was later pronounced dead, with Ennosuke having been hospitalized until he was taken to the police station Tuesday morning for voluntary questioning, where he was subsequently arrested.
Ennosuke admitted to the allegation and was quoted by the police as saying, "It is true I helped my parents commit suicide. I had also intended to follow them by killing myself."
The incident occurred on the same day a weekly magazine published a report detailing Ennosuke's alleged involvement in bullying and sexual abuse of people including actors and staff in his theater collective.
"A weekly magazine report prompted us to hold a family meeting and we decided to say good-bye," he said prior to his arrest, according to the source.
The immediate charge leveled against him by the police was assisting in his mother's suicide, in part by giving her sleeping drugs between the afternoon of May 17 and the next morning.
Traces of two types of sleeping medication were found in her body, with both possibly taken at the same time, according to the police.
Ennosuke himself showed signs of having taken sleeping medication when he was taken to the hospital, and traces of the same two drugs were also found in his body.
The police found that Ennosuke had been prescribed sleeping medication in the past.
An investigation is also being conducted on the actor's suspected involvement in his father's death. An autopsy found that his death was also caused by ingesting drugs.
The police did not find any drugs or pill containers during their on-site investigations. The actor has told the police that he had disposed of medicinal trash.
The parents were found in their home's living room, while Ennosuke was found semi-conscious in a closet in his own room on a lower level.
Ennosuke, who began his career in the early 1980s, is considered a major figure in the Kabuki world and has also appeared in several popular television series.
He also featured in a series of "Super Kabuki" plays, a new genre of Kabuki that combines traditional performance with modern theater effects and music, attracting attention for his role in one based on the manga "One Piece."
After the play achieved major commercial success, he announced that he would be involved in another production based on the popular "Demon Slayer" series in 2024.
Award-winning actor Teruyuki Kagawa, who has adopted the Kabuki stage name of Ichikawa Chusha, is his cousin.
Emergency service in Japan: 119
If you are having suicidal thoughts, help is available.
For Japan, call Yorisoi Hotline at 0120279338 (toll-free). Press 2 after the recorded message for consultation in English, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, Nepali, or Indonesian. The service in these languages is also available on Facebook messenger.
For those outside Japan, you can find a list of other resources here.
