Reporter Han Bing reported that Junya Ito, the main right winger of the Japanese team in the past four years, was removed from the Japanese team that was competing in the Asian Cup due to an alleged sexual assault scandal, and became the focus of world football overnight. Junya Ito, who is about to turn 31, is not the first Japanese international to be implicated in a sex scandal, but whether he is convicted or not, it will be a huge blow to his career.
Junya Ito, who was born in Kanagawa to sports parents who were sports enthusiasts, participated in the Yokohama Mariners Echelon tryout before entering junior high school, but was unsuccessful like Endo. After graduating from junior high school, he chose to attend his mother, Yuka's alma mater, Tsuba High School, because he didn't like the boarding system and seniority level of private high schools. Junya Ito attended Kanagawa University after graduating from high school, and was a classmate and alumnus of famous generals such as Hiroshi Endo, Sho Sasaki, and Takuya Takahashi. At that time, he did not have a strong desire to become a professional footballer, and preferred to stay with his parents.
Jun Ito is also a typical grassroots player, and his football career has taken a lot of "detours". It wasn't until his sophomore year that he saw Yoshiki Muto start his career that he realized he could play professional football. In his junior year, he scored 17 goals in the college league and became the Golden Boot, and Junya Ito established his professional direction. However, he made his debut for the Japanese national team at the age of 24 and made his World Cup debut at the age of 30.
Jun Ito is also known for his speed, which has been honed in the local hilly terrain of Yokosuka, as both elementary and junior high schools are located at the top of the mountain. As a teenager, he also finished second in a relay race in his hometown of Yokosuka. In the Japanese Olympic team, his pace can be compared to Takuma Asano (50m, 5.9 seconds). However, in 2016, after he joined Kashiwa Suns, he was placed at right-back by coach Mendes, and when Takahiro Shimohira was the coach, he was only mentioned in the right midfield.
His right foot is right-footed, and playing as a right winger is better at breaking through crosses and assisting. For Japan, who lack efficient scorers, plenty of assists from the flanks are very important.
In the J1 League in August 2017, Junya Ito, who played for the Kashiwa Suns, scored a 70-meter goal with a long drive in his own half. At the end of that year, he made his debut for the Japanese national team in the East Asian Cup, and although he participated in the 2019 Asian Cup, in the Japanese national team of Mori Hoichi, Junya Ito was only a substitute for Ritsu Doan.
It wasn't until October 2019 that Jun Ito scored a hat-trick of assists against Mongolia in the World Cup qualifiers round of 40, and finally became the main right winger of the Japanese team. In the top 12 of the Asian Cup before the Qatar World Cup, Junya Ito scored in 4 consecutive games, breaking through Vietnam, Oman, China and Saudi Arabia respectively. Then, in July 2022, he joined Reims in Ligue 1 from Genk for a high price of 10 million euros, and entered the top 10 transfer fees of Japanese players.
In the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Junya Ito assisted Doan Ritsu to equalize against Spain, laying the foundation for a comeback victory. In the last six months, Japan has won 10 consecutive victories, and he has scored against Germany by four consecutive goals against Peru, Germany and Turkey. In the round of 36 against Syria in November last year, Junya Ito also staged an assist for the senior game, and on New Year's Day, Japan also wore the captain's armband for the first time against Thailand.
Junya Ito, who was nearly 30 years old, really became one of Japan's leading stars at that time, and he was definitely a late bloomer. However, just as he was at the height of his own career, he took another detour, and this time, because of an off-court sex scandal.
Although Junya Ito is the main player in Reims this season, the 2 goals and 4 assists in 17 Ligue 1 games are not outstanding. Because he does not play for the Premier League or the top five leagues, although he is the absolute main force of the national team, he is not as popular in Japan as Juniors such as Kaoru Mikasa, Ritsu Doyasu, Takumi Minamino and Kenei Kubo. Junya Ito did not perform well in the first two games after the start of the Asian Cup, with zero goals and assists, which is likely related to the sexual assault scandal. Because the two women in question filed a criminal case in Osaka on January 14, Jun Ito must have been informed.
This sexual assault scandal will have a great impact on Junya Ito's career. Credit Saison, the sponsor of the Japan Football Association, removed all print and video advertisements featuring him, and the official website removed all news related to Junya Ito. The crisis PR behavior of the Saison credit card may have had a domino effect, causing other Japanese Football Association sponsors to follow suit.
Sex scandals are not uncommon in Japanese football, with police arresting the police in 2003 for sexually assaulting a 20-year-old woman. In 2007, Japanese international Naoya Kikuchi had a relationship with a 15-year-old female student and was called to the police by the woman concerned. A post-mortem investigation proved that he had had sex with 16 underage females within one year. He was fired by Iwata Joy and fined 1.5 million yen, and the Japanese Football Association banned him for one year. Because of the settlement with the victim, Naoya Kikuchi was not prosecuted in the end. He did not return to Japan until 2009 and retired in 2019.
Junya Ito, who will turn 31 in March, is involved in criminal charges like Naoya Kikuchi, and if he can't be as unprosecuted as the latter, his career could be over. A top Asian winger who is a late bloomer on the pitch has fallen into the current situation, which has to be embarrassing.