Police arrest Ebizo Ichikawa's alleged attacker
Click to viewOn Friday, police arrested the suspected attacker of kabuki actor Ebizo Ichikawa (33). The suspect, a 26-year-old male named Rion Ito, reportedly acknowledged that he struck Ichikawa, but he stated that he was provoked by the actor's violent behavior.
As previously reported, Ichikawa suffered serious injuries during an incident last November, in which he was beaten by a member of a group of people he was drinking with. Ichikawa has denied any fault in the incident, saying that he was attacked while trying to help someone who was feeling ill from drinking too much. However, the other side of the story has claimed that Ichikawa was acting aggressively towards the group's leader, forcing him to drink tequila from an ashtray, among other allegations.
Video captured from the surveillance cameras of the building where the incident took place shows multiple people, including one resembling Ito, pursuing Ichikawa as he ran away. However, Ito told police that he was the only one who actually hit Ichikawa.
According to Sankei Sports, Ito was born and raised in Tokyo. His father is said to be a U.S. citizen of Central or South American descent, and his mother is Japanese. As a child, he played soccer for the youth team of a J League club, and his talents earned him a spot on a team representing Tokyo in 1998.
Unfortunately, he experienced problems fitting in at school. After middle school, he was invited to join a biker gang, and he gradually gave up soccer.
Currently, he is married to a 28-year-old woman, with whom he has a pair of 1-year-old twins. Before his arrest, he was working at a nightclub in Tokyo. People familiar with Ito have described him as a courteous man with a strong sense of justice.
Police are continuing their investigation into the incident.
source: TOKYOGRAPH