Author Tatsuya Matsuki, who wrote the Act-Age manga, has been arrested and charged by the Metropolitan Police Department with indecent acts on a teenage girl.The assault took place on June 18. A junior high school girl was assaulted by a man who then fled on a bike and was reported to have assaulted at least one other girl in the area. After analyzing security camera footage, police apprehended Matsuki, who bears a resemblance to the suspect in the footage. An investigation of Matsuki and the man in the video footage is still underway. However, police reported that Matsuki stated "there is no doubt about" the accusations. The original report from Nippon Housou Kyoukai (NHK) explained that the assaults occurred in the Nakano ward of Tokyo at approximately 8PM. The second assault was committed roughly one hour after the first.
Shortly after the arrest, Weekly Shonen Jump, the English language publisher of Act-Age, confirmed that 29-year-old Matsuki had been arrested and that his alleged victims were between the ages of 10 and 17. The publisher continued to state that official statements concerning the continued publication of Act-Age can be expected soon. Once the allegations have been confirmed, the editors stated that they will issue an appropriate response.
If you are a U.S.-based victim of sexual assault or misconduct in need of help, contact RAINN at 800-656-4673 to be connected with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area. If you are based outside the U.S., click here for a list of international sexual assault resources